Unexpected Love
by mano95
Summary: After Ginny died, Harry thought he would never find another love. A year later, he met an old schoolmate of his. Edit: It is becoming more of James/Scorpius than Draco/Harry. Love can be found in the most unexpected of places... WARNING: Major Character Death
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second fic on here. I hope you guys like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the basic storyline. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling**

"I love you, Harry," Ginny whispered, stroking his hair with tears in her eyes.

"I love you too, Ginny. What's wrong?" Harry asked, hugging her close.

Ginny hesitated. "Nothing," she finally said, looking away from him.

"Ginny…" Harry said pleadingly.

"It's nothing, Harry, really," Ginny insisted, pressing her face into his chest.

"Ginny, you were crying," Harry pointed out. "You never cry, not unless there's something really wrong."

Ginny shook her head. "I can't tell you," she whispered.

"Why not? Are you pregnant again?" he asked.

"No, I just can't tell you."

Harry pressed his lips to Ginny's hair. "Okay," he said reluctantly.

"Have you heard from the kids recently?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, they are having a blast at Hogwarts. Lily's really enjoying herself."

"She should be, she's been waiting forever to go there," Ginny laughed shakily.

"Al said he's been showing her around all week," Harry said, smiling.

"That's good," Ginny said.

That night, Harry was awakened by a horrible scream.

"Ginny!" he yelled in alarm. "Ginny, what's wrong?"

"It's…the…pain," she gasped haltingly. "Hold…me…" she whispered.

Harry wrapped her in his arms. "I can save you," he said frantically.

"No…" she said. "No…one…can…"

"Yes I can!" he insisted, yelling healing spells. He cried when he felt her go limp in his arms. "Ginny!" he wailed. Still crying, he sent a patronus to Ron and Hermione. "Ginny's dead," was the message he gave it, unable to say more. He knew they would come.

A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione Apparated into his room. Hermione took one look at Harry's distraught face and ran over to hug him.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry," she said through her tears.

Ron just stood staring at his little sister's face. "Why didn't you save her?" he demanded.

"Ron, don't!" Hermione said.

"I tried," Harry said. "I tried—there wasn't enough time to get her to St. Mungo's—there was nothing I could do—I—I tried…" he trailed off miserably.

"You obviously didn't try hard enough!" Ron shouted.

"Ron, please," Hermione said quietly. "This is hard for all of us. Please don't take this out on Harry."

"I will be mad at Harry if I bloody well want to be!" Ron yelled.

"This isn't helping things. We need to tell your family, Ron, and the kids," Hermione said.

Ron glared at her but nodded.

"I will pull the kids out of school," Harry said quietly, pulling a quill and some parchment out.

"Ron, do you want to go tell your family?" Hermione asked gently. Ron nodded again and left without looking at Harry.

The next day, Harry looked up from his bottle of firewhiskey as James, Albus, Lily, Ron, Hermione, and the remaining Weasleys walked into his house.

"Hi," he said, hiccupping.

Harry's children came to sit by him while the rest sat down on various chairs conjured from midair.

"What happened?" Molly asked, looking at Harry.

Harry glanced at the three curious students sitting around him. "She died in her sleep," he lied, looking at Molly. "I woke up and noticed that she wasn't breathing anymore. As soon as I found out, I sent a patronus to Ron and Hermione. I'm sorry I didn't send one to you, too. I wasn't thinking clearly." He hung his head, ashamed.

"It's quite understandable, dear," Molly said, hugging him.

The kids were crying softly.

"Look, mate, I'm sorry too," Ron said, his ears red. "I was in shock. You know I don't handle shock well—not that that's any excuse for how I acted toward you," he added hurriedly.

"It's fine," Harry said. "I don't blame you."

A few days later, Ginny's funeral was held. There was a lot of crying, and Harry kept drinking from a flask that he wouldn't let anyone else touch. Hermione guessed that it was more firewhiskey based on the fact that he got meaner as the day went on.

"Harry, you need to stop drinking," Hermione said quietly.

"No!" Harry snarled.

"Ginny wouldn't want this," she said.

"Well, she's not here to stop me, is she?" Harry growled.

"Harry, please?" Hermione asked.

"No. I deserve this. After my messed up childhood where almost everyone I loved died, and now I lose the love of my life, I deserve this," Harry said. Hermione shook her head and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the basic storyline. All the rest belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.**

**Second chapter, and I have to admit, I don't like how Harry acts the beginning of it. Thank you, Zana, for reviewing, I'm glad you like the beginning. Everyone: Please review, I would like to know what you are thinking of my story. It makes me happy. Everytime I get online, I check my email to see if people reviewed. If they did, it makes my day **** Anyway, enjoy**

As the months went on, Harry didn't give up his firewhiskey. He grew more and more dependant on it to kill the pain of losing Ginny. James, Albus, and Lily decided they would live with Ron and Hermione to get away from Harry's drunken rages. Hermione found out she was pregnant shortly after Harry's kids moved in. Ron and Hermione stopped visiting Harry because they didn't want the baby to get hurt. One day about a year after Ginny's death, as Harry was out at The Three Broomsticks by himself, a man sat at his table.

"Hello," a familiar voice said.

Harry started and looked up at Draco Malfoy."Malfoy? Is that you?" Harry slurred.

"Yes. You look awful," Draco said.

"I feel awful. My Ginny is dead, my kids left me, and Ron and Hermione won't talk to me," Harry said miserably.

"Well," Draco said thoughtfully, taking the drink from Harry's hand, "it may be as a result of drinking so much."

Harry let his drink go with a sigh. "You are right," he said. "Why do you care?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Draco shrugged, his pale face turning pink. "My wife left me and took Scorpius with her. I haven't seen them in about a year. I've been sober for six months now."

"Wow," Harry said. "That's amazing. How?"

"I don't know. My advice for you would be to find something to live for. What kept you going before you started dating Ginny?"

"Defeating Voldemort," Harry said instantly.

"What do you have to live for now?" Draco asked.

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought," Draco informed Harry. "But I started working even harder than before my wife left me, and now I am trying to give my family a new reputation."

Harry nodded, thinking. "I still have nothing to live for," he said glumly. "My kids want nothing more to do with me, all of the Death Eaters are in Azkaban or are dead…" Harry trailed off, shaking his head.

"I could give you something to live for," Draco said quietly, looking down.

Harry's face turned red. "What do you mean?" Draco hesitated, then leaned across the table, pulling Harry's mouth to his. "This is what I mean," Draco said against Harry's lips.

Harry surrendered to the kiss for a moment then pulled away slightly. "This is new," he said breathlessly.

"Not really," Draco mumbled.

"How long?" Harry asked.

"Since third year," Draco told him.

"Then why did you act like you hated me?"

"It was the only way I knew how to deal with it," Draco said. "Are you still an Auror?" Draco asked, running his hand through Harry's hair.

"Mhm," Harry said, smiling slightly.

"So am I. We can request to work together," Draco suggested.

"Okay," Harry said.

"I need to go home for a little bit. You should go to Ron and Hermione's. You need to apologize to everyone. Here's some money, go buy them Christmas presents," Draco told Harry, pressing a bag of galleons into his hand. "Don't worry about paying me back, I have plenty," Draco smiled wryly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still own nothing but the plot. J.K. Rowling owns all the rest of it.**

**Zana: Yes, that is where I got it. Maybe I could publish that story too, since it's already done. Thanks, I thought that might be a lot more potent than the butterbeer option. I think that chapter is my favorite one so far.**

Harry hesitated as he stood outside the door to Ron and Hermione's house holding a bag of Christmas presents. He knew he would have to explain to them what had happened that day, and that he couldn't expect them to forgive him. He slowly raised his hand to knock. Ron answered the door, looking over his shoulder at Hermione, who was seven months pregnant before looking at Harry.

"What are you doing here?" Ron demanded, walking out and closing the door.

"Attempting to apologize," Harry said.

"We don't want your apology," Ron snarled.

"Can I talk to Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Of course," Hermione said, walking out. "Ron, go back inside with the kids."

"Fine," Ron grumbled, walking into the house.

"Hermione, I messed up big time. I didn't know how to handle losing Ginny—" Harry broke off as Hermione hugged him.

"I know. I forgive you. I don't know how your kids are going to react to this, but I think they might forgive you too. It's so good to have you back, Harry," she said, smiling.

"There's more I need to tell you," he said quietly.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Today, I met up with Draco Malfoy. His wife left him at around the same time that Ginny died. We talked, and he kissed me. I think we are dating now. I don't know how anyone's going to react to that, but I'm not going to hide it."

"Do you love him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Harry said, surprising himself.

"Well, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. As long as you two love each other, then that should be good enough for everyone else."

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Anytime," she said, smiling. "Come inside, and see your kids."

As they walked into the house, Harry turned to her. "Do you know if your baby's a boy or a girl?" he asked.

Hermione grinned. "We are having a boy."

"Well, I got him a present, if that's alright," Harry said.

"Of course it is, Harry," Hermione said. Harry pulled out a miniature set of Hogwarts robes with the Hogwarts crest on the chest.

"Oh, Harry, they are lovely," Hermione said, taking them.

"I couldn't think of anything else to get him before he's older," Harry said. "For his first birthday, I'm going to get him a toy broomstick like the one I got for my first birthday."

They walked into the living room where James, Albus, Lily, Rose, and Hugo could be seen opening presents with Ron watching. Harry stood in the doorway awkwardly.

"Dad?" Albus asked in surprise, looking over at Harry.

"Hi, Al," Harry said.

James turned away and Lily got up and hugged him. "Hi Daddy," she said.

"Merry Christmas, Lily," Harry said, hugging her and handing her a present. She opened it to reveal a bottle of the perfume that Ginny used to use and Lily had adored.

"Thank you," she said, holding it close.

Harry smiled and handed Albus his present when Al walked over to where Harry was standing. Albus got a new potions set, as potions was his favorite subject at school.

"James, do you want your present?" Harry asked, cautiously walking toward his oldest son.

"No," James said.

"Please, James?" Hermione asked.

James looked at her. "Fine," he said grudgingly, walking toward Harry and taking the present. James opened it to find the invisibility cloak.

"This has been passed down in our family for a long time. I wanted you to have it." James looked up at his father, awestruck. He and his siblings had heard stories about the adventures that had been made possible because of this cloak.

"Thanks, Dad," James said, quickly hugging his father.

Harry handed the rest of the presents out as Hermione showed Ron the outfit Harry had gotten for the baby.

Harry cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him. "I am really sorry for how I acted. There was no excuse for what I did. Someone talked some sense into me today. I hope you all can forgive me."

Ron stood up. "I forgive you, mate," he said, walking over to give Harry a hug. This was followed by Lily, Albus, Hermione, Rose, and Hugo.

James was standing a little bit away, thinking. "I forgive you, Dad," he said finally.

"Thank you, James," Harry said, smiling.

"Where did you get the money for all of these presents? They don't pay us this much at work unless we bring in a Death Eater," Ron commented.

"Draco Malfoy," Harry said.

"Where did you see him?" Ron asked.

"At the Three Broomsticks," Harry replied.

"Oh, okay," Ron said suspiciously.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Thatpottergurl: Wotcher! Haha, I'm glad you liked it, Harry. I wasn't sure what you would think since I kinda killed your wife off and made your kids hate you… When I wrote that first chapter, I was feeling a little (Okay, maybe a lot) dramatic. And don't worry; I'll protect you from Zana. I am an Auror after all. ; ) I really enjoyed chapter two, but I'm kind of partial to this one also. Actually, I can't choose just one chapter as my favorite. They are all good (in my opinion).**

**Violentluck: ARE YOU PSYCHIC? Haha, but seriously. I wrote this chapter before you reviewed, and then I read your review and was like, "Woah, this person knows ****everything****." It was kind of scary…**

"I love you, Harry," Draco announced as he walked into Harry's house.

It was several days since Christmas, and Harry visited his kids regularly, although they still weren't comfortable with moving back in. Harry laughed, coming out of the kitchen where he had been making dinner.

"I love you too, Draco."

Draco walked up to Harry, threw his arms around him, and kissed him enthusiastically. Harry kissed him back for a few minutes before pulling away.

"Dinner's going to burn," he said, walking back to the kitchen, Draco following behind.

"Smells good," Draco said appreciatively.

"Better than me?" Harry asked with mock incredulity.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" Draco asked with a playful gleam in his eye, raising one eyebrow.

"If it does, than I guess you had better go home now," Harry threatened, smiling.

"No, you smell better. Wonderful, even," Draco said. "What's for dinner?"

"Food, of the cooked and edible kind," Harry said, pointing to the steaks. "There are potatoes in the oven."

"Yum," Draco said. Harry pulled Draco into his arms and began to kiss him again. Neither of them heard a group of people walk in, until a loud gasp was heard.

"What's going on here?" Ron asked weakly, his face pale as Harry and Draco pulled apart.

"Well, this is an awkward situation," Draco said pleasantly, taking Harry's hand.

_This wasn't how I planned this moment,_ Harry thought as he turned to face Ron, Hermione, and the five kids. "Draco and I are dating," Harry explained.

"I can understand that you might want to date again, but why _him_?" Ron demanded.

"Because we love each other," Draco said.

James' face turned red. "Come on, Lily, Al. We are leaving."

"I will go talk to them," Hermione sighed.

Rose and Hugo mumbled something about homework and asked Ron to help them. They all left and Harry and Draco were left alone.

"You didn't tell them?" Draco asked. "I thought you weren't ashamed that we are dating."

"I'm not," Harry said honestly. "I just wasn't sure how they would react, and I was trying to rebuild my relationship with them before I told them about us," he said apologetically.

Draco nodded. "No more hiding it," he said.

"I promise," Harry vowed.

~In the living room~

"What's wrong, James?" Hermione asked the fourteen year old.

"Dad's replacing Mum," James said.

"No, he isn't. Harry misses your Mum very much. He still loves her a lot. He just found another person he loves."

James shook his head. "It doesn't work like that," he protested.

Ron, Rose, and Hugo walked in. James ignored them.

"How can he love someone other than Mum?"

"He loves us," Hermione pointed out, gesturing to everyone in the room.

"That's not what I meant. What if he marries Mr. Malfoy?"

"As long as that's what makes them happy, then it shouldn't be a problem. This may be nothing more than just dating."

"How do you _know_?" James asked.

"I don't," she admitted. "What's really wrong?" Hermione asked so that only James would hear.

"Can we talk about it somewhere else?" James asked.

"Of course," Hermione said, walking with James to the dining room.

"Aunt Hermione…I've been keeping a secret from you and Uncle Ron. Scorpius Malfoy kind of knows what I've been going through. We both lost parents around the same time, and neither of us really has any friends at school that we could talk to…He heard about Mum's death in the Daily Prophet, and he felt like he could talk to me. I told him everything, even about Dad. He listened, and really seemed to care. We kissed, and now…I think we are in love." He stopped as he heard giggling on the other side of the door. "Lily!" James yelled, running over to the door. "Why were you listening?"

"Because I wanted to know what was going on," she laughed. "You, in love with Scorpius Malfoy?"

James blushed furiously. "So?"

"Lily," Hermione said. "You know better than that. That was very rude."

"I know. I just couldn't help myself," Lily said, looking away from Hermione. "I'm sorry, James."

James shook his head and walked back into the living room. "You didn't tell them, did you?" James asked Lily quietly.

"No," Lily said.

"Good," James growled.

~Back in the kitchen~

Harry put the food onto platters, magically multiplying it so there was enough for everybody. He set the table, and dinner was eaten in silence. Harry kept glancing at James, hoping that the little "announcement" that had been made that day wouldn't push him away.

"Relax, Harry," Draco whispered as he caught Harry staring at James for the tenth time.

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry whispered back. "I'm just wondering what he's thinking. He won't look at me."

"I told Scorpius about us earlier today, and he hasn't responded either. They will talk to us when they are ready," Draco said, putting his hand on Harry's.

As they were finishing dinner, the doorbell rang. Harry went to go answer it. Standing on his doorstep was a smaller version of Draco. "You must be Scorpius," Harry said. "I'm Harry Potter." When Scorpius didn't answer, Harry called Draco over.

"Scorpius!" Draco said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your letter, and decided to come live with you. Mum is dating some jerk."

**See! Violentluck is a psychic person… Please review and tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing but the plot.**

**Violentluck: I guess you will just have to keep reading to find out…And are you sure you're not psychic? Haha, just kidding.**

**Zana: I'm glad you like it so far.**

**I might be uploading less often; school is starting tomorrow. I apologize in advance, and I hope you like this chapter. As usual, I love this one (I think I'm a little biased though…)**

"What happened to you?" James asked Scorpius later that night, stroking his cheek.

He had snuck out of Hermione's house, riding his broom to Malfoy Manor. He was examining Scorpius' bruises.

"Mum's new boyfriend got mad at me. He said I look too much like my dad."

"Scorpius, that's awful," James said, holding Scorpius' hand. "I'm glad you got out of there before you got really hurt. Maybe you should tell your dad, he could heal you."

Scorpius shook his head. "I'm fine. It isn't going to happen again. Besides, he only got my face," Scorpius lied.

"I worried about you when I didn't get any letters," James said, pulling Scorpius close.

"He promised he would read every letter we sent out of our house. I tried, but he got them all," Scorpius sighed, resting his head on James' chest. "I missed you," Scorpius said.

"I missed you too. I had better get back before they notice I'm gone. Be careful, and let me know if you need anything. It will be better when we get back to school."

"Alright," Scorpius said reluctantly. "Good night, James."

"Good night," James said, climbing out Scorpius' window and flying away on his broom.

A few days later, it was time for James, Albus, Lily, Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius to go back to school. They all sat together in a compartment on the train. Nobody but Lily noticed that James and Scorpius took care to sit next to each other. She watched them the entire ride, looking for some sign of their affection. She couldn't see any, but she thought that was only because she was twelve. When they finally got to Hogwarts, she forgot to keep watching them, and James and Scorpius slipped away.

"I don't want to have to sit at separate tables," James said quietly.

"I don't either, but we have to. Our two houses are supposed to hate each other."

"That doesn't mean we can't be together," James said.

"To the other students it does."

"Well, I don't care what the other students say. I'm sick of hiding it. Our dads don't have to, why should we?"

"You have an excellent point," Scorpius said after a moment. "But we can't let everyone here know before we tell our dads. We don't want them finding out from somebody else."

James nodded, looking sad. "Okay."

"Let's go to dinner," Scorpius said, hugging James.

The two of them walked to the school and into the Great Hall, Scorpius thinking about what he couldn't tell James.

At dinner that night, Scorpius got a letter. "If you tell anyone, I will kill you."

That was all. It wasn't signed, but Scorpius thought he knew who it was from. _I won't,_ he thought, shivering.

"Who sent you a letter?" James asked curiously as the four houses got up to go to their dorms.

"My father," Scorpius lied.

"Oh," was all James said.

"Yeah. We'd better go to bed," Scorpius said, pulling James aside into a shadowed corner where he could kiss him good night.

"I love you," James said, sighing.

"I love you too. Now go, little Gryffindor," Scorpius said, shooing James in the direction of Gryffindor tower.

James smiled at Scorpius and then walked off to go to sleep.

Scorpius leaned against the wall and slowly sank down to the floor, breathing hard, thinking of the letter. He had known it might come to that, but had been hoping that it wouldn't have to. He was scared, so of course he wouldn't tell anyone. Not even James.

~Back at Harry's place~

"I'm sure James will come around, Harry," Ron said reassuringly after Hermione stepped on his foot under the table.

"I hope so," Harry said. "I really regret everything I did to them."

"Yeah, James told us about that," Hermione said softly.

Harry flinched, remembering what had happened. Albus and Lily had caught Harry beating James up after making a comment. Harry didn't even remember what James had said, he had been so drunk. All he knew was that it had made him mad enough to beat his own son. The kids had left that night, showing up at Ron and Hermione's house. Harry knew that James had been covered in bruises and blood. _No wonder James hardly wanted anything to do with me_, Harry thought, sighing aloud.

"I shouldn't have done that. I don't even know why I did. One thing I know for sure is I will never touch alcohol again," he vowed.

"That's a good promise to make to yourself," Hermione agreed.

"Where's Draco?" Ron asked in an attempt to be nice.

"He wanted to let us talk by ourselves," Harry said, smiling.

"That was nice," Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "I'm glad you two could forgive me," he said.

"You're my best mate," Ron said. "No amount of stupidity could change that."

They all laughed. "Thanks, Ron," Harry said.

"No problem. Now, are you really in love with Mal—Draco?" Ron asked.

"Ron," Hermione hissed.

"It's fine," Harry said. "Yes, I am."

"And he loves you?" Ron said.

"Of course. Why?" Harry asked.

"Just checking," Ron told Harry. "You do know that he used to be a jerk, right? I mean, this _is_ Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son we are talking about."

"Ron!" Hermione said, shocked.

"Hermione, its fine. Yes, I do know exactly who we are talking about, Ron," Harry said.

"Good," Ron said.

"Ron, please learn some tact," Hermione sighed.

"What? I'm just asking questions. I don't want my best friend getting hurt," Ron told her.

Hermione just shook her head as Harry laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing but the plot….Which sucks. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**Sorry everyone. School started, and learning French, Latin, and American Sign Language all at the same time isn't easy.**

**Zana: Maybe a little. I'm glad you like it : ) Chapter 8 is almost done**

**Harry: They are only thirteen and fourteen, so it might be a little hard for them to elope. Anytime, and I'm sure pink hair is very scary to Voldemort. Oh, did I tell you I'm a death eater now? (Don't worry, I'll still protect you) Haha, I'm glad you don't mind me killing your wife and turning your kids against you. It might get better…Maybe. Thank you! I'm glad you like the story**

Scorpius was trembling as an owl flew over to him the next morning. "I'm watching you." His face paled. He resisted the urge to rip it to pieces and instead put it away in his bag with the last one. He was careful to remain looking happy, in case James was watching. He didn't want to worry his boyfriend; James worried enough already. He had already insisted on checking Scorpius' bruises first thing that morning, watching to make sure they had healed. Now they walked to class together, James looking worriedly at Scorpius.

"James, relax," Scorpius sighed.

"But your bruises—"

"Are healing," Scorpius interrupted.

"Who is your mum's boyfriend anyway?"

Scorpius hesitated, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "Fenrir Greyback," he whispered.

James stared at Scorpius in horror. "Fenrir Greyback?" James whispered in shock.

Scorpius nodded. "He's the one who gave me the bruises," he explained.

"Is he the one who's been sending you the letters?" James demanded.

"Shhh," Scorpius begged. "Not now, later."

James sighed. "You are not getting out of this," he whispered, continuing to walk to class.

"I know," Scorpius said, following.

~At Malfoy Manor~

"Good morning, Draco," Harry said, walking into Draco's house.

Harry waited a moment for a response. Hearing none, he went upstairs to Draco's room. Draco was there, sleeping.

"You lazy bum," Harry laughed quietly to himself.

He went back downstairs to make breakfast, thinking he would surprise Draco. He hummed to himself as he made pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon. When it was done, he set the table and went back up to wake Draco.

"Good morning," Harry said, gently shaking Draco awake.

"Morning," Draco yawned, sitting up.

"I made breakfast," Harry said, taking Draco's hand and pulling him out of bed.

"I thought my dream smelled real," Draco said, standing up. They headed downstairs. "So how was your conversation with Ron and Hermione?" Draco asked, grabbing some bacon.

"It went really well. They were happy for us," Harry said, smiling.

"I'm glad you are friends with them again," Draco said. "Have you heard from your kids?"

Harry sighed. "James still won't talk to me, and he won't let his siblings talk to me either."

"I'm sorry. Any idea why?"

"I'm assuming he's mad because I left and now he feels like I replaced his mother with you."

"He knows that's not true," Draco said.

"I hope he does," Harry said. "If he doesn't now, he will figure it out."

"I know. I'm sorry, I wanted to make this breakfast happy, and I made it depressing."

Draco shrugged. "It had to be talked about."

Harry nodded. "Have you heard from Scorpius?"

"Yes, he's having a great time. He and James have become friends."

"I'm glad they get along," Harry said, smiling.

~That night~

Draco sat on the couch, holding Harry. They had spent all day together, just talking about their individual problems. Now they were silent, both lost in thought, both enjoying the other's company.

"Harry, I've been thinking. We've known each other a long time, and you said you get pretty lonely at home…Would you like to move in with me?" Draco asked, stroking Harry's hair.

"Wouldn't that be kind of awkward for Scorpius?" Harry pointed out.

"I don't think he would mind," Draco said. "I could ask him if you want me to."

"Please do," Harry said.

~At Hogwarts~

Scorpius and James met in an empty classroom.

"Now, tell me the truth. Is he the one who's been sending you the letters? I found them, and I know you were lying to me. It couldn't have been your dad. He loves you too much, and it wouldn't make sense for him to threaten you."

Scorpius sighed. "I'm sorry about lying to you, but if you saw the letters, you know why. Yes, it was Greyback who sent them."

"Why is he threatening you?" James asked, pulling Scorpius close.

"Do you trust me?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes, of course I do," James answered automatically.

"Then you have to trust me when I say that I can't tell you," Scorpius said.

"Please tell me," James begged, holding Scorpius at arm's length so that he could see his bruised face.

"I can't, you will go do something rash and stupid," Scorpius said.

"I can't lose you," James countered.

"But I will lose you if I tell you and you run off to kill him! Think, James! If I tell you, and you try to kill him and end up dying, then he's going to kill me, and nothing will be accomplished!"

"But I have to know," James said, less confidently.

"Do you want us both to be killed? You saw what he wrote. If I tell you or anyone, he will kill me!"

An owl flew in at that moment. Scorpius looked at it, terrified, before taking it.

"If that's from Greyback…" James threatened.

Scorpius opened it.

"Dear Scorpius,

"Harry and I were talking today, and I asked him to move in with us. He insisted that I ask you first. He doesn't want to make you uncomfortable. He really cares about you, and so do I. So what do you think? Would it be okay if Harry moved in with us? Write back as soon as you can.

"I love you,

"Your father,

"Draco Malfoy"

Scorpius looked at James.

"Well, who is it?" James demanded.

"My dad," Scorpius said, relieved.

James held out his hand for it. Scorpius handed it over, and James read it quickly, his face pale.

"We have to let them move in together," Scorpius said. "If we don't, they will want to know why. And if your dad does move in with us, that will give you another excuse to visit so often. You won't have to sneak over as much."

James nodded reluctantly. "I guess they're getting pretty serious," he sighed.

"I know. It will all work out," Scorpius said, not really believing it himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Still nothing but the plot is owned by me… *sigh***

**Harry: Scorpius' life doesn't get any better anytime soon…And neither does James'. Instead of sending them off to Vegas, I should send myself. And bring you of course. That is good to know, because even death eaters need protection from the Dark Lord sometimes. When did you become a vampire? This is a new development. Was it Avada Kedavra? That turned Cedric into a vampire… ; ) (What the minister doesn't know won't hurt me)**

**Zana: I am trying to work on ten now, but it is difficult to think of what should happen next. I can't wait to read your story! Yours is going ****tres****bien****! (My stupid computer apparently doesn't recognize French and won't let me type it in correctly) Anyway, can't wait to read more of yours!**

**Emiliexox: If you really love the Scorpius/James pairing, then you may not like this chapter very much…**

**Xhpduhx: I agree with the werewolves not being monsters just because they are werewolves (I am married to one, as I am Tonks) You will find out what else that monster did to poor little Scorpius.**

~Malfoy Manor~

"Dad,

"It's fine if Harry wants to move in with us. Please tell him I thank him for thinking of me. School is great, and I will see you during Spring Break.

"Love,

"Scorpius"

Draco smiled and handed the letter to Harry.

"I'm glad he doesn't mind me moving in," Harry said.

"I told you he wouldn't," Draco smirked, standing up to answer the door. "Harry, it's for you!" he called.

Harry walked around the corner, wondering who had known to look for him at Malfoy Manor; he hadn't told anyone he would be there that day. Standing at the door were Ron and Hermione, Ron barely hiding a look of disgust. Draco was holding the door open and genuinely smiling at the sight of Harry's best friends. Hermione looked happy as well. Harry stepped forward to hug her and her husband.

"How did you know to find me here?" he asked.

"Your boss told me you've been spending a lot of time with Draco, even at work. And we already know you two are dating," Hermione said.

Harry gestured for them to come in. "What's wrong, Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron just shook his head. "Harry, can I talk to you?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry looked at Hermione and Draco. "You two go ahead." When the other two were gone, Harry turned back to Ron. "What?" Harry asked.

"Why are you over here?" Ron asked.

"Draco and I are still together. And I live here," Harry said.

Ron gaped at him. "I can't believe you would move in with Malfoy! I thought dating him would just be a phase, something that only lasted a few days because you were trying to get over Ginny!" Ron was nearly yelling now, and Harry was trying to make him stop.

"Ron, I am dating Draco because I love him, not because I'm trying to get over Ginny. Of course I miss her, but Draco is helping me to move on. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't even be talking right now. Who knows? I might have gotten so drunk that I died. I could owe him my life. I certainly owe him my sanity. But that isn't why I'm dating him."

~Hogwarts~

James watched Scorpius send the letter in silence. He was thinking of the possible consequences of their dads moving in together. James stepped forward to kiss Scorpius good night, but Scorpius didn't kiss him back.

"What's wrong?" James asked, looking at the sad expression on Scorpius' face.

"Maybe it would be better if, from now on, we are only friends. Obviously our dads are planning on being together for a while…" Scorpius trailed off at the angry look on James' face.

"We can't let that break us apart! We were together first!" James growled. "What happened to 'I can't lose you,' or 'I love you,'?" he demanded.

"That was before I got the letter from my dad," Scorpius said.

"So, because of _him,_ my life is ruined again," James muttered, walking out the door.

Scorpius silently watched him go. James walked to the Gryffindor common room, fighting the tears that wanted to spill down his face. Albus and Lily stopped him outside the portrait hole.

"What do you two want?" he hissed.

Lily flinched at the murderous glare on his face, and James instantly turned it off, feeling guilty.

"Lils and I want to move back in with Dad, and were wondering if you felt the same," Albus said.

James glared again. "Why would you want to move back in with him? What about what he did to us? Besides, he lives with Scorpius' dad now. We might not be welcome."

"We have decided to forgive him for everything he has done. He's only human; he made a mistake. I don't see what living with the Malfoys has to do with anything. He's our father. I know he wants us to move back in with him," Albus replied.

"I am not letting you two move back in with him!" James yelled. "What if he gets drunk again and beats one of you?"

"He won't; he's changed," Lily said stubbornly.

"Over protective fool," Albus muttered. "You aren't in control of us, James."

"You aren't going to move in with him," James said angrily.

"Yes we are, aren't we Albus?" Lily said.

Albus nodded. "Go get some sleep, Lily. We will write to Dad in the morning."

Lily obediently went to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory while Albus went to the Slytherin common room. James went into the Gryffindor common room where he sat alone, trying once again to fight the tears. He had hated his father when he was thirteen for disappearing. Now he hated him even more for taking Lily and Albus from him, and for causing Scorpius to break up with him. At the thought of Scorpius, he lost the battle and let the tears fall freely. He decided not to talk to his father for any reason, unless absolutely necessary, but he had to talk to someone. He grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill that someone had left out and started writing.

"Aunt Hermione,

"I don't know what to do. Scorpius got a letter from his dad saying that my dad is moving in with him. Because of that, Scorpius broke up with me. And now Albus and Lily want to move in with them.

"James"

~Malfoy Manor~

Ron grumbled and followed Harry to the living room, where Draco had evidently just finished telling Hermione about the new living arrangements.

"That's great! Congratulations," she said, smiling at Draco.

A thought seemed to cross Draco's mind and he looked ashamed. "How can you be so nice to me? After what I called you in school, I figured you'd hate me."

"Why don't you say it, Malfoy?" Ron snarled as Draco winced. "You had no problem with it at Hogwarts!"

"I've changed," Draco mumbled.

"Ron, I don't really see what the big deal is. What he called me was the truth, even if it wasn't a very nice way of saying it," Hermione said. "I'm sorry for my husband's attitude, Draco."

"We're leaving," Ron growled, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her toward the door. Hermione yanked her hand out of Ron's and went to hug Harry and Draco goodbye. Draco hugged her back, looking startled. Hermione smiled and disapparated, taking Ron with her. When they got to their house, Ron stomped off to their room without saying a word. James' owl was waiting for Hermione. She read the letter, feeling bad for James.

"James," she wrote, "I don't really think there is anything you can do except to keep an eye on Scorpius. There might be something else going on with him. Has he been hiding anything from you? As for Albus and Lily, if they want to move back in with your father, we can't stop them. I don't think you have to worry about him hurting them. He really has changed. You are more than welcome to continue to live with us, both Ron and I love you very much. Love, Hermione."

cShe sent James' owl back with her response and went upstairs to calm Ron down, worrying about James.

~Hogwarts~

When James read the letter from Hermione, he growled in frustration. So he was just supposed to let his brother and sister live with the jerk who had tried to beat him? Hermione _was_ smart; James knew Scorpius had been hiding something from him… But how was James supposed to find out what it was? He had a feeling that when Scorpius had said "friends" he had meant that they wouldn't be talking much anymore. Did that mean James had to spy on Scorpius? If that was what it took to make sure Scorpius was okay, James would do it. The only thing James wouldn't do was move back in with his father. James couldn't stand the thought of him, let alone living with him. _Maybe I could get Al to keep an eye on him during the breaks,_ James thought, still mad that Albus and Lily were moving in with Harry.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Still. *sigh***

**Emiliexox: I like to think of Ron in this story as having MPD, and I wouldn't be too sure about how he takes ****anything****. Scorpius' situation becomes more clear with time.**

**Violentluck: I actually based James' character off of me. He reacts how I see myself reacting in these situations. Especially the reaction to his father being a drunken jerk, my dad is the same way. James' personality is also pretty similar to mine. I am very protective over my younger sisters when it comes to my dad.**

**xJacob's Girlx: I am glad you like it : ) **

"Good morning," Draco whispered, rolling over to kiss Harry.

Harry, who was already awake, kissed Draco back. "Good morning," Harry smiled.

"Why is there an owl here?" Draco asked, blinking blurrily at the barn owl on the nightstand.

"Albus and Lily wrote to me. They want to move in with us."

"I told you your kids would come around," Draco said, sitting up and cradling Harry against his bare chest.

"All except James," Harry said quietly.

"James may take more time to forgive you," Draco murmured. "And in the meantime, of course Albus and Lily can come live with us, as long as they know you live with me."

"They do, James was hanging out with Scorpius when Scorpius got your letter, and James told Lily and Albus," Harry said.

"Oh okay. Well, I'm not going to keep you from your kids," Draco smiled.

Harry was silent.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, not looking at Draco.

"Please tell me," Draco said quietly.

"I sent James a letter last night. He never wrote back. He hasn't wanted anything to do with me since he found out about us," Harry said, still not looking at Draco.

"Are you blaming me?" Draco asked.

Harry glared at the wall.

"You are, aren't you?"

Harry was still silent, but he shifted his glare to Draco.

Draco got up and walked across the room, arms crossed. "I can't believe that you would blame me! What did I do?"

"He would've come back if I wasn't dating you. You were the one who started it, you kissed me first!"

"You didn't have to kiss me back! You could've broken up with me at any time, but you didn't!" Draco yelled. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours! Besides, you were the one who hit him."

Harry looked away from Draco, tears sliding down his face.

Draco ached to comfort him, but stayed where he was, just watching Harry.

~Hogwarts~

James was pacing in the Gryffindor common room, trying to think of how to ask Albus to help him keep an eye on Scorpius, when he saw a snake on the floor.

"Hello, James Potter," it hissed, and James jumped.

"H-hello," James hissed back, not really sure how or why he was talking to a snake.

"I heard that you need some help," the snake said. "Concerning a certain special friend of yours."

"Yes," James said.

"I wouldn't mind following him for you," the snake told him.

"That would be…helpful," James said. "Thank you."

The snake nodded and went to find Scorpius and James was left to think about his new ability.

"Aunt Hermione,

"Is it normal to be able to talk to snakes? I was in the common room, and I just had a conversation with one.

"James."

~Ron and Hermione's house~

Hermione read the letter while Ron snored loudly. She wasn't surprised that one of Harry's children had inherited the ability to speak Parseltongue, but she was surprised that Harry hadn't told them about it before.

"James,

"Not everyone can speak Parseltongue, but your father can. It is a very rare ability, and you should be proud to have it.

"Love, Hermione."

She sent the letter to James and turned to Ron. "Ron, wake up," she said.

"Wha—Hermione? What's going on?"

"Your behavior last night was unacceptable!" Hermione said.

"You woke me up to lecture me?" Ron grumbled.

"Well, you went to sleep last night, so I couldn't," Hermione glared. "Why were you so horrible to Draco?"

"Do you not remember what a prat he was? He's a bloody git if he thinks I'm just going to forgive him!" Ron yelled.

"He feels bad for how he acted in school," Hermione said. "While you were yelling at Harry in the hallway, Draco apologized to me!"

"And you believed him?" Ron demanded. "I don't believe a single nice word that comes out of that liar's mouth!"

"And that's your problem, Ron! You never forgive."

"No, I just don't forgive those who hurt the ones I love. I haven't forgotten how he referred to you at school. Or how he treated you. Why do you think I attempted to curse him that day?" Ron said.

Hermione was silent for a moment. "I'm touched that you cared that much even then, Ron, but it's time to let it go. How long has it been? Almost twenty-five years since you tried to curse him that day. You can't hold on to your anger for so long," Hermione said, allowing Ron to take her into his arms.

"Maybe you're right," Ron said quietly. "But he hasn't proved to me that he can be trusted."

~Hogwarts~

"He got a strange letter this morning it said something like 'I don't want to have to hurt you,'" the snake reported as James prepared for bed.

James hadn't seen Scorpius all day. "I will kill Greyback for threatening him," James growled. "But why is he threatening Scorpius?"

"This may be of no consequence, but I did notice that your friend goes into a bathroom to change. When the other boys in his dorm asked him why he did this, he shrugged and dodged the question. He also looked unusually pale."

"I need to find out why," James muttered, grabbing the invisibility cloak. "Thank you," he told the snake, who nodded and went to go sleep in the Slytherin dorm.

James slipped the cloak on and went out in the corridors so that he could think. As he wandered past one of the bathrooms, he heard a loud sniffling noise and then Scorpius' voice.

"And—and then, he—" Scorpius' voice broke, "he touched me. _Here_."

There was a gasp and then a woman's voice. "That's terrible!"

James quietly walked into the room—making sure the Invisibility Cloak covered him—to see Scorpius kneeling on the floor and crying. Hogwarts' notorious bathroom ghost Moaning Myrtle was attempting to comfort him.

"Have you told anyone about this?" she asked.

Scorpius shook his head furiously, tears flying. "Greyback said he'd kill me if I told. I only told you because I needed someone to talk to," Scorpius said, wiping his eyes.

"You can always talk to me," Myrtle crooned.

"Thank you, Myrtle," Scorpius said, taking a deep shuddering breath. "I'd better go to sleep."

James was frozen, his hands shaking in anger, and almost didn't get out of the way in time for Scorpius to leave the bathroom. _Greyback molested him?_ James thought angrily, walking back to the Gryffindor common room. _I will kill him._


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Still owning nothing but the plot… : (**

**Pizziagirl: I'm glad you like it**

**Harry: Your attempt to tell me what you were thinking wasn't pathetic. The conflicts are fun to write about : D I am not going to say anything about a fight between James and Greyback. I am updating now just for you, because you asked so nicely.**

Draco hesitated before waving his wand to unlock the front door. He walked in slowly, looking around. He had left that morning to give himself time to think. Harry blaming him for James' avoiding Harry still stung, but he knew he needed to talk to Harry. He finally found Harry in the kitchen, making dinner. Draco watched him silently for a few minutes before speaking.

"That smells good," he said quietly.

Harry turned around. "You came back," he whispered.

Draco nodded and studied Harry's face. His eyes were red and puffy and there were tearstains all down his face. Draco walked forward and hugged Harry. Harry buried his face in Draco's shirt as Draco wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

Draco rubbed Harry's back soothingly. "So am I. I overreacted."

"No you didn't. I just didn't want to take responsibility for my actions." He looked up at Draco, tears in his eyes. "I love you, and I really am sorry. Please forgive me?"

Draco kissed Harry gently. "Of course I forgive you. And I love you too." He wiped the tears off Harry's face.

Harry smiled. "Finish cooking dinner with me?" Harry asked, taking Draco's hand.

"Sounds like fun," Draco said, helping with dinner.

As they ate, Draco was thinking. "Harry, do you really think James doesn't like you because you're dating me?"

Harry looked up. "I don't know. Maybe he's just embarrassed that after his mother died, I started dating a guy."

"That is a possibility," Draco said. "It might also be the fact that you are dating his best friend's father."

Harry nodded slowly. "I just hope he can forgive me soon. Lily really looks up to him…" Harry trailed off at the look Draco gave him.

"You really want James back because he's your son and you miss him. No more lies, even about little things. I haven't kept anything from you since the day we got together," Draco said.

They both jumped as an owl flew in and crashed on the table.

"Bloody owl," Draco said, cleaning hot food off his robes.

Harry took the letter.

"Father,

"No, I do not wish to move in with you and your boyfriend. Please stop writing to me so often; I really don't have anything to say to you.

"James"

Harry's hand was shaking when he finished reading the letter. He set the parchment down and stared at the floor, not seeing anything. The owl had flown away as soon as Harry took the letter.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, using his wand to clean up the mess.

Harry didn't respond.

Draco picked up the letter, read it, and walked around the table. "I'm sorry," he whispered, pulling Harry out of the chair and sitting on the floor, gently rocking him back and forth. They sat like that for a long time, Harry quietly crying into Draco's robes.

~Hogwarts, the next morning~

"Scorpius!" James called, running after his ex-boyfriend. Scorpius kept walking, pretending not to hear. James caught up with him, grabbing Scorpius' arm.

"Go away, James," Scorpius said.

"Can we please talk?" James begged, looking around. They were alone.

"No," Scorpius said. "I will not get back together with you. Not with our fathers together like they are."

He walked off without looking back, knowing that if he did, the expression on James' face would cause him to immediately take back what he said and kiss James. James stood in the corridor, angrily wiping tears off his face. When they finally stopped coming, he went to breakfast, sitting where he could keep an eye on Scorpius. Scorpius, who was normally a very friendly and talkative person at meals, wasn't talking to anyone. James studied Scorpius' appearance and noticed a few bruises that hadn't been there the day before. James pushed his food away, suddenly too nauseous to eat. He walked over to Scorpius, not caring that he was about to make a scene.

"Where did those come from?" James demanded.

Scorpius jumped. "James, go sit down," he hissed.

"Where did your bruises come from?" James asked again.

"I fell this morning," Scorpius lied.

"Tell me the truth," James said, folding his arms.

By then, almost the entire Great Hall was staring at them.

"Later," Scorpius whispered.

"I will hold you to that," James said, walking away.

Scorpius went back to pushing his food around on his plate. James left the Great Hall, deciding to ditch class that day, even if it meant detention. He wandered up several flights of stairs and started pacing. After pacing a few times, he noticed a door that hadn't been there before. Cautiously, he opened the door to find a nice room that had a couple of couches and a fridge completely stocked with snacks.

"I love magic," James whispered to himself.

After classes ended for the day, James tracked Scorpius down.

"I found this really awesome place were we can talk," James told Scorpius, leading the way up the stairs.

"Good for you," Scorpius mumbled, looking around nervously. "James? Would you happen to know why I found a snake following me last night?"

James stopped walking. "Why? What happened to it?"

"I knew it," Scorpius sighed. "How long have you known you can speak Parseltongue?"

"Two days," James said. "What happened to the snake?"

"Someone got mad and sent it away," Scorpius said.

James groaned. They walked in silence until they got to the Room of Requirement.

"Stand right there and watch this wall," James said.

Scorpius sighed and obeyed as James began pacing. Out of nowhere, a door appeared.

"I guess that _is_ kind of cool," Scorpius said.

"You haven't even seen the best part!" James said. "No one can hear us in here. No one can even get in or know we are in here. This room has everything! Think of something you want right now."

Scorpius thought for a few moments, and cheesecake appeared on a table with a fork. Scorpius stared at it, bewildered, before picking up the fork and eating the cheesecake.

James laughed. "Cheesecake?"

"I'm hungry, and it was the third thing that popped into my head."

"You wouldn't be so hungry if you'd actually eat at meals," James grumbled.

Scorpius ignored this. "You wanted to talk?" he asked reluctantly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own only the story…Not the characters. I think we all know by now they belong to J.K. Rowling.**

**Harry: Yes, take your anger out on Greyback, he deserves it. I honestly can't blame James for how he's acting toward his father. I do feel bad for Harry though.**

**Zana: I'm updating now because you asked nicely…In French…Four times… Thanks, I'm glad you like it : )**

**Edit: I am a little disappointed that no one asked what the first two things Scorpius thought of were, so I'm just going to tell you here: First, he thought that he wanted James back. The second thing he thought of was AVPS -yes, I know that isn't really possible, but I don't care- which reminded him of cheesecake. So he got to eat cheesecake.**

Harry pulled Draco to the couch. They sat down, Harry in Draco's lap with his head on Draco's shoulder.

"You feeling better?" Draco murmured, wrapping his arms around Harry.

"A little," Harry said. They sat in silence for a while.

"Draco? Can I ask you a question?" Harry asked, tilting his head slightly so that he could kiss Draco's neck.

"Sure," Draco said, smiling.

"Out of curiosity, why did your wife leave?"

Harry felt Draco shrug. "Because I was too distracted for her. I was considering filing for divorce anyway, and trying to get partial or even whole custody of Scorpius, but she left with him before I could. A few days later, I got the divorce papers in the mail saying that I had to sign them and send them back. I've already taken care of everything with the courts, so now I have complete custody of Scorpius."

"What distracted you so much?" Harry asked.

Draco was silent for a few moments, deciding how to explain. "I became…obsessed, I guess would be the word, with the memories of my years at Hogwarts. I loved my son—I still do—but I hated the life I had created for myself. I didn't spend enough time with her because I was spending too much time with my memories." Draco paused. "Especially my memories of you, regretting the way I had treated you, pushing you away." Draco watched Harry, who was silently thinking about Draco's words.

"I've already told you that I don't hold your past actions against you," Harry said.

"I know. That doesn't mean I don't regret them," Draco told Harry.

Harry smiled and stretched to kiss his boyfriend.

~Hogwarts~

"Yes, I did want to talk. Yesterday you didn't have nearly as many bruises. Where did those come from?" James asked, folding his arms.

"Like I told you this morning, I fell out of bed," Scorpius lied.

James narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you even care?" Scorpius demanded.

"Because I love you," James said.

Scorpius shook his head. "You need to get over me, James. With our fathers together, we can't be together. It would be so much easier for everyone—"

"I don't care about what's 'easier', Scorpius!" James shouted. "To be honest, I don't care about him, or anyone else! I'm not going to just 'get over' you. Please don't make me," he said, taking deep breaths in an attempt not to cry. He hated crying, and had done more of it in the past year than he had since he was five.

"James, we will probably end up as brothers. If that is the case, then we can't be together," Scorpius said, looking away.

"I hate my father for doing this to us," James growled, leaving.

Scorpius sighed and sat down on the floor with his head in his hands. "I hate this just as much as you do, James," he whispered.

"Your little boyfriend looks delicious," a horribly familiar voice said.

Scorpius jumped. "Not again," he begged.

Fenrir Greyback walked fully into the room, staring at Scorpius with a hungry look in his eye. "You brat," Greyback growled. He hit Scorpius hard across the face, knocking him flat on his back.

Scorpius laid there, fearing for his life as he did every time he was around Greyback.

"Yesterday I told you to stay away from all of your little friends. I guess last night's little lesson didn't stick!" He slashed Scorpius' robes with nails as sharp as claws.

"No, please! I tried to get him to leave me alone, I swear!"

"Obviously not hard enough," Greyback snarled, raking his claws down Scorpius' chest.

Scorpius whimpered in pain, his eyes watering.

"If you don't get him to leave you alone, you won't be the only one getting this," Greyback threatened.

"I'll get him to leave me alone, I promise! Just please don't touch him," Scorpius said.

Greyback growled and raised his hand.

James went back to the Gryffindor common room, still angry that Scorpius hadn't told him the truth about where the bruises had come from. He sat on his bed and pulled out the Marauder's Map. He had taken it from his dad's room before they had moved out. Most of the students were in their common rooms or dorms, but a few scattered students were in the library or Great Hall. Albus and Lily were in one of the greenhouses with Neville. James looked at the dots in the Slytherin common room and dorms for Scorpius, but couldn't find him. He scanned the rest of the map carefully, but didn't see Scorpius anywhere. _He must still be in the Room of Requirement,_ James thought. He put the Map away and changed into his pajamas, curling up on his bed, wishing that his life could go back to being good. When he woke up in the morning, it was still dark outside. James checked the Map again for Scorpius. When James still couldn't find Scorpius, he panicked. Still in his pajamas and with his chin length hair a mess, he ran to the Room of Requirement and paced as fast as he could, thinking about the room he and Scorpius had been in the night before. It took a few tries because his mind kept jumping back to Scorpius, but he finally got in. He opened the door to find Scorpius laying on the floor, robes torn and bloody, and a small pool of blood slowly spreading around him.

"Scorpius!" he yelled, running over.

Scorpius didn't move; he was unconscious. James carefully lifted Scorpius over his shoulder and carried him quickly to the Hospital Wing, where he banged on the door as hard as he could. Madam Pomfrey answered the door, took one look at Scorpius and ushered the boys inside.

"What happened?" she asked James as she poured a potion down Scorpius' throat to stop the bleeding. James explained almost everything he knew, leaving out the fact that they had been dating and that Greyback had a history of beating Scorpius.

"I will need to keep him here for a while; he has lost a lot of blood, and I need to find out what happened to him," Madam Pomfrey said, looking over Scorpius one more time.

"Can I stay until he wakes up?" James asked. "I might be able to get him to tell me what happened."

"Yes, you may. I'm going to sleep, but you have to come get me if anything happens."

James nodded as she left. He settled on the edge of Scorpius' bed to wait. While he waited, he spoke softly to Scorpius. "I really do love you," he said, gently stroking the back of Scorpius' hand. "I wish you weren't so…stubborn, although it's one of the things I love best about you. When I saw you lying there like that, it terrified me. I was afraid you were going to die. I wish I knew what happened to you, who hurt you this badly. When I find out, I will kill them," he growled. Going back to his quieter voice, he said, "I wish you could've seen me these past few days. Maybe then you would take me back…" He trailed off, remembering Scorpius' conversation with Myrtle. "Greyback," he snarled. "Scorpius, I swear to you that he will pay for what he's done to you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: How many Galleons do you think it would cost to get J.K. Rowling to sell me the rights to Harry Potter? Probably more than I have… So I still don't own the characters, but the plot is all mine! Muahahaha**

**Harry: You may want to keep those vampires close…And bring in an army of Aurors… Asking nicely in different languages is cool! And speaking of, s'il vous plait, s'il vous plait, s'il vous plait update!**

**Zana: DE RIEN DE REIN DE RIEN DE RIEN! ****Oh, and there's another one... DE RIEN. There, I think that covers it… My interesting ideas come from an alternate universe where Harry Potter is the Dark Lord and Voldemort wears pink! (I just made that up)**

**Everyone else: I miss your reviews. *sniff sniff* Please review?**

**On to the story!**

Scorpius groaned and opened his eyes, spotting James. "What are you doing here? Where am I?" Scorpius asked.

"We are in the Hospital Wing, and I just saved your life," James said, standing up and putting his hands behind his back.

"Thanks," Scorpius said, looking down.

James nodded. "Who was it?" he asked quietly.

"Who was what?" Scorpius asked blankly.

"Who injured you so badly?" James nearly shouted, glancing at the door Madam Pomfrey had gone through.

"I don't know," Scorpius lied.

"Please don't lie to me. I'm sick of lies and heartbreak…" James took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Not the point. The point is, I know if you are lying to me, so please don't," James said.

"I do not know who attacked me," Scorpius said again.

James fought the urge to bang his own head against the wall. "Why won't you tell me?" James asked.

"Because I don't know," Scorpius insisted.

"Well I do," James growled.

"Then who was it?" Scorpius challenged.

"Fenrir Greyback," James spat.

Scorpius was silent for a moment. "How did you find out?"

"I heard you talking to Moaning Myrtle. Why didn't you tell me what he did to you?"

Scorpius was shaking but flinched away when James tried to comfort him. "He threatened me. And when he found out about you the threatened to do the same thing to you. I couldn't let you go through that," Scorpius said.

"I'm telling Madam Pomfrey."

"No!" Scorpius yelled. "If you promise not to tell, then we can get back together James," he offered frantically

James was shaking his head before Scorpius even finished. "I can not just let this go, no matter what," James said.

"But I thought you love me," Scorpius said, tears sliding down his face.

"You know I do, Scorpius. That's why I have to tell," James said with a tortured look on his face.

"What are the teachers going to do about him? They can't do anything. Trust me, I know they can't," Scorpius said.

"But they can catch him, put him in Azkaban," James said.

Scorpius shook his head, more tears spilling onto his robes. "He's a werewolf, and he can use magic and he was a death eater. Do you really think they can capture him?"

James took a deep breath, still undecided.

"Come here, James," Scorpius whispered, holding his arms out. "Come here and promise you won't tell. We can be together; I don't care about our fathers anymore."

"Why should I? So you can use me to keep your little secret?" James asked bitterly. "Scorpius, I care about you, which is why I'm going to tell," he said, more surely than he felt.

"James, if you tell anyone, I swear never to talk to you again," Scorpius threatened.

James bit his lip. "If that's the price I have to pay to keep you safe, I will pay it."

"James, if the adults fail, Greyback will track you down and kill you!" Scorpius said.

"I don't care," James growled.

"Please don't," Scorpius begged. "I can handle it on my own!"

"That's why you're in the Hospital Wing," James said sarcastically. "I can't let him get away with this. And now you are forcing me to make the hardest choice of my life."

"Please James! I love you—" Scorpius was cut off as James kissed him, sitting down on the bed and pulling Scorpius into his lap.

"No more hiding things from me," James whispered, holding Scorpius close.

~Malfoy Manor~

Draco reluctantly got up from the couch, pulling his shirt back on as he went to answer the door. "Oh, hello Ron," Draco said awkwardly. "Hold on, I'll get Harry."

"No, I wanted to talk to you," Ron said.

Draco blinked, shocked. "What about?"

"I need to let go of the past. While it may take some time, I would like to be friends. Truce?" Ron said, holding his hand out.

"Truce," Draco said, shaking Ron's hand. "I'm glad to hear that, but I need to get going. Hermione can get pretty demanding when she's pregnant," Ron laughed.

Draco smiled. "Goodbye," he said as Ron waved and disapparated. Draco walked back into the living room and sat on the couch with Harry.

"Who was it?" Harry asked.

"Ron," Draco said. "He wanted a truce with me, and said we might even become friends."

Harry smiled. "Good to know," he murmured, kissing Draco.

Draco growled when the doorbell rang again. "Can I please just have a few minutes of peace with my boyfriend?" he demanded of nobody as he went to answer the door.

"Oh, so you're gay now?" a female voice said from outside right before Draco opened the door. "I heard rumors that you were dating Harry Potter, but I didn't think they were true," Draco's ex-wife, Astoria said.

"What do you want, Astoria?" Draco asked wearily.

"To know why you have taken my son away from me," she said, brushing him aside and walking into the house.

"It was Scorpius' choice," Draco said shutting the door. He had almost forgotten that Harry was sitting on the couch shirtless until Astoria walked into the living room.

"Oh, I didn't know I would have the…pleasure…of meeting dear Draco's new boyfriend," she sneered, looking over Harry.

Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Harry, this is Astoria, my ex," Draco said, glancing at Harry apologetically. "Astoria, this is Harry."

"I know," Astoria said, smirking at Harry.

"Draco, I'm just going to go upstairs," Harry said, his face pale.

"No, don't leave on my account," Astoria said, pushing him back down onto the couch.

"Astoria," Draco said warningly, "leave Harry alone."

"Why would Scorpius want to live with you?" Astoria demanded, turning back toward Draco.

"I don't know," Draco said. "He didn't tell me, he just asked me to file for sole custody."

"You listened to a child?"

Draco shrugged. "I missed my son, and he wanted to live with me."

"Does your boyfriend live here?" Astoria asked.

Draco nodded, smiling at Harry.

"I don't approve of my son living with two gay men," Astoria growled.

"Scorpius doesn't mind it," Draco pointed out. "Apparently, he'd rather live with us than with you and whoever you're dating."

"Oh, I never told you who I'm dating, did I? _My_ boyfriend is Fenrir Greyback," Astoria smirked.

"You would rather have Scorpius living with a werewolf than with Harry and me?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Astoria said.

Draco sighed, shaking his head. "I left it up to Scorpius, and he chose to live here."

"Fine. You had better watch the ones you love closely," Astoria sneered at the two men, leaving the house.

"Was she like that when you were married?" Harry asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, if I had known she would treat you like that—"

"It's fine. I can understand how she might be jealous. I mean, anyone would be, with your body…" Harry trailed off. Draco grinned and sat down, kissing Harry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I can't even claim I own the plot of this chapter. Zana helped me with it. So thank you Zana, this chapter is officially dedicated to you.**

**Evie Glacier Tako: Ah, James... Yes, well, it will all get taken care of. Believe me; I wanted to smack James several times while I was writing this story. But in the end... And Scorpius wasn't hurt bad enough to have Madam Pomfrey tell Draco. If he had to stay there overnight, then she would've. And don't worry; what you said made plenty of sense. Thanks for reviewing, and I would love to receive more feedback, so feel free to pm me anytime. I will answer questions as long as they aren't spoilers...**

**Readers: That last part of Evie's review response goes for all of you. You can pm me anytime, and questions will be answered as long as they aren't spoilers.**

"James seems to be happier," Lily said thoughtfully.

Albus nodded. "I wonder what's up with him."

Lily looked up, not meeting her brother's eyes. "I don't know."

"Well, I'm going to find out," Albus said.

Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever Al. I'm going to go find Hugo."

She left to go find their cousin and Albus went looking for his brother. He finally found James in a deserted classroom. He quietly slipped in and hid in the shadows, watching. Scorpius Malfoy had his shirt off and James was examining some bruises and scratches on Scorpius' chest.

"I'm fine James," Scorpius sighed.

"These cuts need to be cleaned," James replied, pulling out his wand and muttering a few spells, looking satisfied with the results.

"Where did you learn those?"

"The day you were in the Hospital Wing, I went to the library and looked up some first aid spells so that I could help you," James said.

"That was sweet of you," Scorpius said, hugging James.

James smiled and tilted Scorpius' face up so that he could kiss him.

Albus gasped softly, covering his mouth so the two boys wouldn't hear him. _No wonder he hates Dad so much,_ he thought. _Maybe I should write to Dad, and at least tell him that something is going on._

Scorpius broke the kiss, smiling at James. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," James murmured.

Scorpius yawned. "I need to get some sleep, we have Astronomy tonight."

"Sounds fun," James said, walking out with Scorpius, presumably to walk him to the dungeons.

Albus waited a minute before following, arriving in time to watch James kiss Scorpius one more time before they went to their separated common rooms. As soon as they were both gone, Albus went into the common room to write to his father, sending the letter with a school owl. He went to the dorm to find Scorpius was already asleep. Albus laid on his own bed, reading by wand light until it was time to go to Astronomy.

Albus walked with Scorpius, talking. "I just think that since your dad is dating mine and we are going to be living together, we should at least try to be friends," Albus said.

Scorpius nodded, only half paying attention as he thought about James. They got to the Astronomy Tower, turning in last week's homework and beginning their class work as they talked.

~Malfoy Manor~

"Dad,

"James has been spending _a lot_ of time with Scorpius and Scorpius is covered in bruises. I'm going to try and become friends with him since we will be living together, and I will try to keep an eye on him and see if I can figure out where the bruises are coming from. Lily and I can't wait to see you again, and we love you."

"Albus"

Draco's vision turned red as Harry watched him read the letter. "James has been beating my son?" he growled.

Harry stared at him in shock. "That's not what Albus said."

"You've read this. You should see that all of the evidence points to the fact that James beats Scorpius up," Draco snarled, waving the letter at Harry.

"James would never beat anyone," Harry protested.

"I read somewhere that children who were abused sometimes grow up to abuse others," Draco said nastily, looking at Harry pointedly.

Harry flinched. "James wouldn't," he said again.

"You are going to continue to defend him when everything points against him?" Draco asked incredulously. "Not to mention he hates you and probably wouldn't appreciate your efforts anyway. Look at the evidence: He spends a lot of time with Scorpius after making it crystal clear that he is _not _happy about us dating, and now Scorpius is covered in bruises! It is obvious that James is the one giving him the bruises."

"I'm leaving," Harry said, going upstairs to back his belongings.

"Good. Keep your son away from my son or else," Draco growled.

Neither of them noticed Astoria watching through the window. "This is working better than I planned," she smirked to herself.

Harry came back downstairs with a bag, hands shaking in anger. "I may not have spent time with him in a year, but—"

"Exactly!" Draco said. "You _haven't_ spent time with him in a year! This means you really don't know him anymore. People change in a year, Harry."

Harry shook his head sadly and left the house. Draco watched him leave and angrily stomped upstairs to write to Scorpius.

"Scorpius,

"I know what he's doing to you, and you need to get away from him. Nobody has the right to hit you like that. If he doesn't leave you alone, I'm going to have to deal with him myself."

"Love, Draco"

~Hogwarts~

Scorpius read the letter in the morning, heart sinking. "James promised," he whispered, getting up to look for James, who was eating breakfast in the Great Hall.

As soon as James saw Scorpius, he hid the letter he had been reading, which just made Scorpius more suspicious.

"We need to talk," Scorpius said.

James followed Scorpius to the Room of Requirement.

"What's wrong?" James asked, hugging Scorpius.

Scorpius pulled away and glared at James. "You promised," he growled.

"What did I do?" James asked.

"You told my father!" Scorpius yelled, showing James the letter.

James groaned. "Your father isn't talking about Greyback. He thinks _I'm_ beating you."

"How do you know?" Scorpius demanded. James silently handed him the letter he had hidden at breakfast.

"James,

"I know you didn't want to hear from me again, but I need to know: Are you beating Scorpius Malfoy? Draco thinks you are because of a letter Albus sent me." 

"Harry"

"I never break my promises," James said quietly.

"Scorpius buried his face in James' chest. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

James wrapped his arms around Scorpius. "It's fine," he said, kissing Scorpius' hair.

They stood like that for a long time, Scorpius trying to think of a way to convince his father that James wasn't beating him without mentioning Greyback, and James was trying to figure out why Albus would write a letter like that to Harry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The rest still belongs to J.K. Rowling. But I think Harry and I are going to make a plot to own Harry Potter, haha.**

**Harry: Yes, the last part was sweet…The end of the next chapter (not this one) not so much….The 'magic' link between Harry/Draco and James/Scorpius is intensified as time goes on. I would love to know if you come up with a catchy slogan against Greyback. Maybe James could wear it on a shirt, haha. And I am glad to know that your army is growing. Someone needs to get rid of Greyback.**

Scorpius woke up in the morning, enjoying the feeling of James' arms around him. The boys had decided not to go back to their dorms but to spend the night in the Room of Requirement, with Scorpius sleeping in James' arms. James had 'manifested' a bed for them to sleep on.

"Good morning," James yawned, pulling Scorpius closer.

"Good morning," Scorpius murmured. It was silent for a few minutes.

"I've been thinking…You don't really want your father to know about Greyback, do you?" James asked.

Scorpius shook his head. "He will do something stupid."

"Then we have no choice. We have to let him think that it's me hurting you," James whispered.

"No!" Scorpius exclaimed, turning around so that he could look at James. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't, we both know that. It's better, even safer, for him to think it's me. As long as you and I know that I would never _ever_ hurt you, then it shouldn't be a problem," James said.

"But I don't want him to think of you like that," Scorpius said, laying his head on James' chest.

"It's the only way to keep him safe," James said softly.

Scorpius sighed. "I'll write him a letter," he said, standing up reluctantly.

"I'd better write to my father as well," James groaned.

When James stood up, Scorpius took his hand. "It was your plan," he reminded James gently.

James nodded and used their entwined hands to pull Scorpius to him for a kiss before they left the room to write to their fathers. "Harry," James wrote, his stomach twisting with every lying word, "Yes, I have in fact been beating Scorpius. Do not write to me anymore. James"

"Dad, I'm fine, I can handle James. Love, Scorpius"

"James," Scorpius said after both letters had been sent.

"Yes?" James asked, smiling at Scorpius to hide the sick feeling left over from writing the letter.

"Want to go to Hogsmeade with me today? It's a Hogsmeade weekend."

"Of course I would," James said. "But we need to change out of our pajamas first."

~Malfoy Manor~

Draco read the letter from Scorpius for the hundredth time that day, allowing the anger to wash over him again. He needed to talk to the Potter brat, and fast. _Tomorrow will be a good time,_ he thought savagely, crumpling the letter in his hand. He glanced out the window at the darkening sky, glaring at the door when someone knocked.

"Go away Potter," he growled, not moving.

"I'm not your boyfriend," Astoria said.

Draco sighed, answering the door. "What do you want?"

"To tell you that I saw Scorpius in Hogsmeade with the Potter boy today, and Scorpius looked like he had some fresh bruises," Astoria said, pretending to be concerned.

Draco hissed in anger. "I'm taking care of it tomorrow morning," he promised.

"Let me take care of you tonight," Astoria suggested, stepping behind him and rubbing his shoulders. "You're very tense."

Draco pulled away uncomfortably. "Astoria, we are over. We have been over since the moment you filled out the divorce papers."

"We don't have to be over," Astoria said, looking hurt.

Draco shook his head. "It's over Astoria. Go back to your boyfriend."

Astoria sulked off, plotting revenge.

Draco went back inside to plan what he would say to James.

"Fenrir,

"Obviously he's still after Potter. The good news is that he doesn't suspect you. He thinks it's Potter's son. It's time to step it up; the plan we discussed needs to be put into effect immediately. Draco is going to show up at Hogwarts to 'deal with' the little brat, so take care of Scorpius tonight. You will get your money in time, so calm down. "Astoria"

~Hogwarts~

James checked the Marauder's Map. Scorpius was still asleep. _Good._ He got dressed and went to the Entrance Hall as the letter had instructed. Draco Malfoy was waiting there with a murderous expression on his face.

"This is your only warning," he growled. "Leave my son alone. He has done nothing to you."

James was prepared to act, but it didn't stop the sick feeling from entering his stomach again. "He is your son, and you are dating my father," James said icily, raising an eyebrow.

"Scorpius is not responsible for my actions or the actions of your father. Stop taking your anger at your father out on Scorpius," Draco snarled. "I know this is about what your father has done and the fact that you think he's replacing your mother with me, but you need to let it go. Leave. Scorpius. Alone."

James was silent, glaring hatefully at Draco.

Draco left, thinking that next time, he might curse the boy. As soon as the doors shut after Draco, James sank to his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach. When Scorpius found him, James was trembling. Scorpius glanced around, and helped James walk upstairs to the Room of Requirement.

"I hate lying about that," James said quietly. "The thought of hurting you like that, or even at all, makes me feel sick."

"I know. Thank you for keeping him safe," Scorpius said, hugging James.

James nodded, returning the hug as the last of the nausea finally faded from his stomach. He stepped back to look at Scorpius, gasping at the nastiest bruises and cuts he had ever seen from Greyback. "Good thing I learned some more healing spells," he muttered, examining the scratches and bruises that covered almost every inch of Scorpius' visible skin.

Scorpius sat still as James healed them. "You do so much for me," Scorpius murmured, inspecting his newly healed skin.

"I do it out of love," James said.

Scorpius smiled and leaned against James. "What are you thinking about?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing," James lied.

Scorpius closed his eyes, fully content.

_I can't take care of this at Hogwarts,_ James thought, holding Scorpius. _It has to wait until Easter Break. I will take care of this once and for all. I promise you that, Scorpius._


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Merlin's pants….J.K. Rowling won't sell me Harry Potter for all the Galleons in the world. *sigh* Oh well. I guess I should be glad, because if I owned Harry Potter, then I would own Greyback. *does happy dance because of not owning Greyback* But the plot is still mine. Muahahaha**

**It's that time again. Yay updating!**

**Zana: Oui, you do need to post. Accio next chapter! *hits wand on hand* Stupid thing… Ah, yes, Greyback does need a good punching. I honestly hate him with a passion. If it wouldn't ruin the plot, I would've killed him off long ago.**

**Harry: You will find out what that horrible woman meant in this chapter… James has a little Hermione in him, I think…Which doesn't even make sense as they aren't blood related. Although, that could explain the brown hair thing. *ponders* Gasp! James and Albus are actually Hermione's children? Someone should really tell Ron….**

**Well, I got one review from other readers. I would really appreciate feedback, as I am working on another story, and I would like to know what everyone likes/dislikes about my writing, so please, s'il vous plait review?**

Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He had only been gone a little over a day, but it still felt like forever. He shivered in the early morning light, knowing Draco would be awake; they had work.

Draco opened the door, already dressed and ready for work. "What do you want?" Draco asked coldly, glaring at Harry.

_Just like old times,_ Harry thought. "To apologize and to tell you that you were right," he said.

"I told you," Draco said, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry. I guess I really don't know James anymore," Harry said.

"I talked to him yesterday. It's your fault. He is doing this because of how you treated him," Draco said. "He is hurting my son because of you!"

"Do you want me to talk to him?" Harry asked.

"If you do, what's going to stop him from hurting Scorpius more?" Draco demanded. "Just leave it. I will deal with him if he doesn't stop."

Harry nodded reluctantly, hesitating before he asked the question that burned inside his mind. "What about us?"

"As far as I'm concerned, there is no 'us'," Draco said. "Not until your son leaves Scorpius alone." Draco pushed away the urge to make the depressed look on Harry's face disappear and refused to show that he missed Harry as much as Harry missed him. _It's the way it has to be,_ he thought, watching Harry turn slowly and walk away.

~Hogwarts~

_Why does Al have to be in a different house?_ James thought, staring at the Marauder's Map. He sighed and got up, planning on waiting outside the Slytherin dorm until Albus came out. He was so focused on Al's dot that he didn't notice when Scorpius came and sat next to him.

"Good morning," Scorpius laughed when James still didn't look up.

James jumped and turned toward Scorpius, grinning. "Sorry. I was waiting for Albus, but it's nice to see you too," he said, planting a kiss on Scorpius' cheek.

Scorpius blushed slightly, not used to James being so open in a place they could potentially be seen. "Why are you waiting for Albus?" Scorpius asked.

"I want to talk to him about the letter he sent Harry," James said.

"Would you like me to go get him?" Scorpius asked.

"If you don't mind, that would be very nice. I think you should come with us," James added. "It involves you too."

Scorpius nodded, standing up. "I will wake him up and make him get dressed."

"I'll be right here," James said, indicating the place he was sitting. He watched Albus' and Scorpius' dots as Scorpius woke Albus up. James stood up when their dots were in the common room area.

Albus was yawning as he stepped out with Scorpius following. "Where to?" Albus asked.

James lead both of them to a nearby empty classroom that Neville had told them was the Potions classroom when he went to school. "Al, Harry said you sent him a letter the other day. Why?" James asked.

"Harry?" Albus asked in confusion.

"You and Lily would know him as 'Dad'. Answer the question," James said.

"Oh…I just told him that you and Scorpius have been spending a lot of time together," Albus said.

"Did you tell him anything else?" James demanded.

"Yeah, that Scorpius looks like he's been attacked. He looks much better today though," Albus said.

"What made you tell him we've been spending a lot of time together?" James asked.

Albus shifted uneasily, looking away.

"Do you think I'm the one that hurt him?" James demanded.

"No! Of course not," Albus said, looking back at James with a startled look on his face.

"Then what is it?" James asked.

"Um, well, I could be wrong, but I was looking for you the other night, and I saw you two. You were healing Scorpius, and then it-it _seemed_ like you two were dating, but like I said, I could be wrong…" Albus said.

"Did you tell Harry that?" James asked.

"No, I only told him you two spend a lot of time together."

"Good. Don't tell him, no matter what," James said.

"So, is what I think true? Are you two dating?" Albus asked.

James smiled and nodded. "Since a little bit after Mum died," he said.

"Not technically," Scorpius said. "We did break up."

James grimaced. "I don't want to think of that," he muttered.

"I know," Scorpius said, holding James' hand. "It's not going to happen again."

James smiled, gently squeezing Scorpius' hand.

Albus cleared his throat. "We need to get to breakfast," he mumbled.

Scorpius sighed and James reluctantly let go of Scorpius' hand.

Albus pulled the door open and the boys all filed out and went to the Great Hall.

~The Ministry of Magic~

"What are you doing here?" Draco demanded, uncomfortably aware that Harry was watching.

"I miss you," Astoria said, carefully positioning herself so that when she and Draco faced each other, Harry could see both of their faces.

"I don't miss you Astoria," Draco said flatly.

"Why not?" Astoria asked, putting a hand on his arm.

Draco stepped out of her reach. "You already know why," he muttered. "Besides, you have a boyfriend."

"Tonight is the full moon, he won't be home," Astoria purred, stepping closer to Draco than she had been before.

"Go home," Draco told her. "You're not supposed to be here, and I don't want you back."

Astoria looked up at Draco, fake tears falling down her face before she ran out of the Ministry. Draco forced himself not to look at Harry as he went back to work. Harry felt a small flare of hope as he played the confrontation in his head over and over.

~Hogwarts~

"Where is that brat?" Greyback growled, pacing in the Room of Requirement. He could sense the sun just beginning to go down.

"James, no!" Scorpius protested.

"I might as well know exactly what it is I'm supposed to pretend to be doing to you," James said, his face a light shade of green as he imagined the horrors he might witness. "I'll be under the Invisibility Cloak."

"Fine. But you are _not_ allowed to do anything but watch until after he is gone," Scorpius said reluctantly.

"But—" James began to protest as Scorpius shook his head. "Okay," James said. He pulled the Cloak over himself and followed Scorpius to the Room of Requirement. James stood in the corner of the room, fighting nausea as he watched.

"There you are," Greyback snarled, throwing Scorpius against the wall.

Scorpius remained silent, sinking to the floor.

Greyback walked over, using his claws to rip Scorpius' clothes off.

"No," Scorpius whispered.

"We're going to try something new tonight," Greyback growled, pinning Scorpius down.

James fought the urge to vomit and glared at the floor. Suddenly James heard a scream unlike the rest of the screams he had heard from Scorpius. He looked up to see that Greyback had transformed and was now biting Scorpius. James pulled the Cloak off and carried it over to Scorpius, using his wand to fend off the werewolf. The second he managed to stun Greyback, James threw the Cloak over his unconscious boyfriend and carried him to the old Potions classroom. He carefully cleaned the neck wound, knowing there was nothing more he could do for it. He pulled off his shirt and made it into a rough bandage before finding some extra robes he had found in the room before. He laid them next to Scorpius before beginning to heal Scorpius' wounds.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Harry Potter. But I less than three it! The plot though, that belongs to me.**

**I'm updating a day earlier than usual, poor Harry seems like she might go insane with suspense if I don't ; )**

**Harry: Yeah…You think you want to hit something now, just wait…..You actually might want to use a dart on Astoria. She's pretty twisted. I hate her. Ah, poor Harry and Draco. Will it get better for them? We shall see….Muahahahaha! I'm glad Greyback is on the top of your hitlist. He's on top of mine too. And I enjoy the fact that you pressed random numbers to get your statistics. Sounds like something I would do, haha.**

**Zana: All I have to say to that is: : P**

Scorpius came to as his pain was gradually reduced. He moaned, putting a hand on his neck. James continued healing the rest of Scorpius' wounds.

"How're you feeling?" James asked when he was done, gently placing his hand on Scorpius' cheek.

"It hurts," Scorpius said. "What happened?"

James hesitated. "Greyback bit you. You're a werewolf," he whispered.

Scorpius looked up at James, eyes wide. "That's why I don't feel very good. You don't have to stay here," he said, choking on his words.

"You won't transform until next month," James said, stroking Scorpius' hair.

"I know, but I'm a werewolf now, no better than Greyback," Scorpius whispered.

James gently kissed Scorpius' forehead. "You aren't a monster. You are Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, my boyfriend."

"Aren't you scared of me?" Scorpius asked.

James shook his head. "I grew up with Teddy, and he's a werewolf," he pointed out. "I grabbed you some extra robes," James added, turning around so that Scorpius could take the Invisibility Cloak off and change.

Scorpius changed quickly and then hugged James, burying his face in James' shirt. James wrapped his arms around Scorpius as Scorpius started crying.

"Would you like me to see if Teddy can come?" James asked after a little while.

Scorpius nodded, not looking up.

James tightened his arms. "Teddy's the only one we can tell. He won't ask too many questions. We can't even tell your dad, because he will want to know how you got bit," James murmured.

Scorpius took a deep breath and turned his head to the side, letting James hold him. "I know," he whispered. "Are you sure you're okay with me being…what I am?"

"Positive. I still love you," James assured Scorpius.

~Astoria's house~

"Why aren't you at Hogwarts?" Astoria demanded.

"Because something happened last night," Greyback said.

"What happened?" Astoria growled.

"I'm pretty sure Scorpius is now a werewolf," Greyback said.

Astoria raised her hand to slap Greyback, but a sudden thought made her drop her hand. "Maybe he will kill the Potter brat," she said. "I am _not_ happy with you for this, but whatever it takes to get Draco back…You are still needed at Hogwarts. Continue with the plan. If you mess anything else up, you will not be paid."

"But we agreed—"

"We also agreed that Scorpius would not be bitten," Astoria snarled. "As a consequence, if anything else goes wrong, you will not get your money."

"As you wish," Greyback said.

"Good. Now get back to Hogwarts. Talk to Scorpius when you get a chance; convince him to hate his little boyfriend," Astoria said.

Greyback left and Astoria went back inside to plan her next move about Draco.

~Harry's new apartment~

"Why do I push everyone away from me?" Harry muttered angrily. He had spent the time since the breakup with Draco fluctuating between sadness and anger at himself. "I'd better let Al and Lily know that we won't be living with the Malfoys." He dug through his desk until he found parchment, a quill, and ink.

"Albus and Lily,

"I'm glad that you are trying to become friends with Scorpius, but you won't be living with him. Draco and I had a fight because James has been beating Scorpius, and now I have my own apartment. Let me know if you still want to move in with me.

"Love, Dad"

~Hogwarts~

"Of course we still want to live with him," Lily said after reading the letter. "But I highly doubt James hurt Scorpius."

"I know. We promised James we wouldn't tell Dad though," Albus said.

Lily nodded, sighing.

James and Scorpius were waiting in the Entrance Hall for Teddy. They had discovered that if Scorpius wore his Slytherin scarf all day, it hid the werewolf bite. He got some funny looks considering it was still pretty hot outside, but they knew it was better than everyone seeing the bite.

Teddy opened the door and walked in, hugging James. "It's been a while," Teddy said. "I'm assuming you're Scorpius?" he said, turning to Scorpius, who nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that you've been infected," Teddy said as they shook hands.

"Thanks for coming," Scorpius said.

"I'm sure you have questions, but we should go somewhere else," Teddy said.

James led the way to the Room of Requirement.

"What do you want to know?" Teddy asked.

"Is there any way you can get rid of it?" Scorpius asked.

Teddy shook his head. "You can take the Wolfsbane Potion to help control some of the symptoms, but it will never completely go away."

"Does the potion stop you from transforming?" Scorpius asked.

"No, that is the one thing it can't help with," Teddy said.

"What are the…symptoms…it _can _control?" Scorpius asked.

"Usually for a few days before and a few days after the transformation, you will want to eat a lot of meat. Fortunately, with the potion, you won't want raw meat as much. You will also have a bit of a temper, but the potion helps with that a little. Being a werewolf will affect your life in other ways though. People won't want to hire you, it will be harder to make friends, things like that."

Scorpius thought about those things. "Is there any way to make sure that I don't infect anyone else?"

"If you go to the Whomping Willow before the full moon rises, there is a tunnel underneath it that leads to the Shrieking Shack. You should be safe there," Teddy said.

Scorpius nodded, sighing in relief.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I need to find a way to make the disclaimers more interesting….Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does. And she won't share.**

**Obsessive Reader: I agree, he should just tell his dad….**

**Harry: I enjoy giving the characters problems. Sorry about all the suckiness that I gave your life though ; ) Astoria is paying Greyback to beat Scorpius in an attempt to make Draco get close to her again….Yeah, her logic doesn't really make much sense to me either….I should try that, I wonder what my Geometry teacher would think….No, I don't think people will lock Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy in a closet until they make up. Good idea though. *looks at little 2ft X 2ft closet thoughtfully***

Scorpius scanned the table, looking for the steak. It had been almost a month since Greyback bit him, but he wasn't keeping track nearly as well as he should've been. He found the meat and loaded his plate, barely aware that he was more carnivorous than usual.

Several students around him stared as he tore into the meat. He glared at them. "Have a problem?" he demanded.

They shook their heads and hastily went back to their food. Scorpius grumbled under his breath as he finished eating. His neck had finally healed, and he was glad to not have to wear the scarf so often, but people had started staring more than ever, and it was irritating him.

As he got up to go to the common room, James caught his arm, pulling him to a nearby empty classroom.

Scorpius noted with irritation that James had a habit of going into empty classrooms, but didn't comment on it. Instead he asked "What do you want?"

James tried not to flinch at the disdainful tone in his boyfriend's voice. He knew it was only because the full moon was close. _I don't want to know what he would be like without the potion,_ James thought. "Scorpius, you do know what is coming up, right?"

"Bedtime," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes.

"No, I meant the full moon," James said.

"Oh, that. What about it?" Scorpius asked suspiciously.

"It will be your first transformation, and I don't think you have been…paying as much attention to it as you should be," James said.

"Just leave it alone," Scorpius grumbled. "I will be fine."

"I thought I might find you two here," Albus said, opening the door.

"Can't anyone just let me go to bed?" Scorpius growled.

Albus blinked. "Is everything okay?"

"Why is everyone so concerned about me? I'm fine! I'm tired, and I want to go to sleep. I don't need you babysitting me so much James," Scorpius yelled.

James sighed, averting his face to hide the hurt he felt. _This isn't him, it's just a side effect,_ he thought over and over. "You can go," he said quietly.

"Thank you," Scorpius said, slamming the door shut as he left. "What's wrong with him? I've never seen him act like that to anyone, especially you," Albus said.

James shrugged. "He's just tired, that's all. Why were you looking for me?"

"To ask if you've heard from Dad recently," Albus said, ignoring the glare James shot him.

"Why would I have heard from him? I told him not to talk to me anymore."

"Well, it's been about two weeks since Lily or I have gotten any letters from him, and he was kind of down because he and Mr. Malfoy broke up," Albus said.

"They broke up?" James asked blankly.

"Yeah, about a month ago. He never told you?" Albus asked.

"No, like I said, I told him not to talk to me anymore," James said. "Why did they break up?"

"Because they believe that you are the one hurting Scorpius," Albus said. "Mr. Malfoy refuses to be with Dad until you leave Scorpius alone."

James was silent, wondering why he suddenly felt guilty.

"I'm going to go to sleep," Albus yawned, leaving the room.

James started pacing. _Why do I feel guilty? I should be happy; now Scorpius and I can be together, _he thought. _I hate him, and besides, I am not really the cause of their breakup. I haven't been hurting Scorpius; that's Greyback. Does this mean that I actually…still care about him?_ James shook that last thought off.

"I need to get to bed, being tired and Scorpius acting the way he is must be messing with my mind," he muttered, leaving the room.

"I thought you wouldn't be coming around anymore, considering the fact that I'm like you now," Scorpius said.

"We have gone through this conversation almost every day and I'm sick of it," Greyback growled.

"Why shouldn't I like James anymore again?" Scorpius asked.

"Because he is clearly using you. He wants his family back, so he figures that if he uses you, he can break your father and his father apart, putting his family back together. In the beginning, he was only using you to get over his mother," Greyback said. "He has never loved you. Why else do you think he never protested very much about having to keep your relationship secret?" He was taking advantage of Scorpius' confused emotions. He remembered very well what it was like to be a new werewolf, and he knew that it was easier to convince Scorpius now than it would be any other time.

~Two Days Later~

"Come on, Scorpius. This is pointless. You need to go through the secret tunnel now, the moon will be up any minute," James said.

"I don't care," Scorpius growled, pushing James away from him.

"Yes you do," James said tiredly. "Please?"

Scorpius muttered blackly, allowing James to take him to the Whomping Willow. "Maybe he was right about you."

James ignored this for the moment. "Go, I will be here in the morning."

Scorpius left and James settled down to wait, thinking about what Scorpius had said. _Maybe who was right about me? What were they right about?_ he thought, staring up at the sky. His thoughts trailed off, leaping from subject to subject. _What if Scorpius' behavior isn't just because of the transformation? What if he really just doesn't like me anymore?_ His heart sank as he pondered this before his thoughts jumped to something else.

_Will my father be able to forgive me for how I have acted toward him?_ a traitorous voice whispered in the back of his mind.

_I don't care,_ he informed the voice, glaring at the full moon that had now fully risen.

_Yes you do, _the traitor whispered. _You do care, and you are just too afraid to admit it._

He growled and banged his head sharply against the ground, effectively returning his thoughts to Scorpius (and giving him a terrible headache), who by now would be a wolf, and was probably tearing up the Shrieking Shack. A howl split the night, far off in the distance. "I'm sorry you had to be infected," James whispered, turning his face toward the howl.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Does anyone really need these? *sigh* I do not own Harry Potter, or anything associated with this amazing world of J.K. Rowling. No matter how much I fantasize that I do….**

**Harry: Astoria's brain doesn't make much sense to me either…. But she definitely belongs in a ward next to Greyback and Ravenclaw. And possibly Lockheart too. Hopefully locking those two in a closet will fix their problems, haha. I do feel bad for Scorpius and James. It will get better…. I think this chapter will help clarify what Scorpius meant. And yes, James is feeling bad for how he treated his father. Even though he doesn't want to admit it. Stubborn child… Merci, and Happy Halloween to you too :)**

James stayed awake the entire night, listening to Scorpius' howls. Every time his thoughts wandered back to his father, he hit his head on the ground, causing a large bump to form on the back of his head, but he didn't care. When the moon finally went down, James was glad.

_Just a couple more days and Scorpius will be back to normal,_ he thought, watching the place under the tree where Scorpius would come out.

When Scorpius did come out, James studied his appearance. Scorpius looked really tired, and a little unnerved by what he had gone through. He glared when he saw James.

"I thought I told you I didn't need to be babysat," he growled.

"I'm not babysitting you, I'm just making sure you're okay," James said.

"I'm fine! Why doesn't anyone believe me?" Scorpius yelled. "I'm going to breakfast," he said, stomping back toward the castle without giving James time to respond.

James watched Scorpius leave. _Not much longer now,_ he thought bitterly, rubbing the back of his head and standing up.

~Astoria's house~

"Astoria,

"It shouldn't be too difficult to convince him to hate Potter. All I have to do is talk to him about it around the full moon, when his emotions are scrambled. I started last night, and he really seemed to believe me. Next month, he shouldn't want anything to do with Potter.

"Greyback"

Astoria smirked. "I knew I picked the right man for the job. This is almost too easy…Then again; there is the issue of Draco not wanting me back. He just doesn't know what he wants. He needs to be shown what he wants." She frowned in thought. _I think it's time I paid him another visit at work._

~Ministry of Magic~

Harry looked up, startled to see Astoria at the Ministry again.

"Leave me alone," Draco sighed without looking up.

"But I miss you," Astoria said, pouting.

"We have been through this. You really need to stop coming here. I have to work," Draco said.

"You won't even look at me?" Astoria asked.

Draco rolled his eyes but looked at her. "Happy now? Will you please go?" Draco said.

"No," Astoria said, stepping closer.

He backed up, bumping against the desk. There was nowhere for him to go, and Astoria knew it.

She smirked, placing her hands on his chest.

"Astoria," Draco said warningly.

Astoria ignored the warning, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling his face down so she could kiss him.

Draco tensed, pulling away from Astoria, who only held tighter.

Harry was watching, a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Kiss your girlfriends on your own time, Malfoy," Draco's boss said, passing by and causing Astoria to pull away finally. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the boss said to Astoria.

Astoria scowled at him but left.

Draco sighed in relief, going back to his work.

Harry hadn't heard anything; he had only seen Draco kissing Astoria. _I guess it really is over,_ Harry thought sadly, impatiently wiping away the tear that was slipping down his cheek.

~Hogwarts~

"James, can I talk to you for a minute?" Neville asked as the class was leaving the greenhouses.

The school day was over, and the Gryffindors had just finished Herbology with the Slytherins. Neville had noticed that Scorpius was acting off, and knew that James spent a lot of time with him.

James nodded and stayed after the other kids had already left.

"I know you want to get to dinner, but I couldn't help noticing that Scorpius Malfoy is acting strangely. Do you know why?" Neville asked.

"He hasn't been getting enough sleep lately," James lied. "I'm sure he will be back to normal in a few days."

"Okay, you can go to dinner now," Neville said.

James nodded and left, hurrying so that he could keep an eye on Scorpius.

Scorpius was sick of James Potter always watching him. During classes, at meals, anytime they were in the same room, he could feel James' eyes on him. He knew there was a reason James was so concerned, but he couldn't remember it at the moment. All he knew was that James was acting like a stalker.

James, unaware of Scorpius' irritation, was watching Scorpius again. Scorpius was eating another plate of meat, but at least he wasn't asking for raw meat. Every now and then Scorpius would snap at the other students, who were staring at him, but for the most part Scorpius was well behaved. The worst part was when Scorpius turned his animal glare on James. James flinched, trying to remind himself that it was just an effect of the moon, but he couldn't stop the sad feeling that gripped his heart like ice.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Okay, I'll admit it. No one reads this junk. Watch, I could say something totally random, and no one would notice. Oogala boogala! By the way, I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with Harry Potter. The dementors arrested me when I tried.**

**Harry: Haha, I think that is the one quality from me that I put in all of my characters. It gets infuriating sometimes. Greyback is only good for torturing. And shunning. Don't give up yet! There is still hope. After this chapter, there is one more and the epilogue… Yeah, I felt bad for James. He knows Scorpius doesn't mean it and yet that doesn't stop it from hurting. Merci, and here is another chapter for you (even though I think you got offline while I was typing up the review response…)**

Draco glanced over at Harry, watching as Harry wiped away the tear. He refused to feel guilty; he wasn't dating Harry anymore, and he wasn't the one who had kissed Astoria. Draco turned back to his paperwork, stomach twisting. He didn't need Harry, did he?

"Of course not," Draco muttered.

He forced himself to ignore Harry and finished his paperwork. When it was finally time to go home, he sighed in relief, leaving before he could look at Harry again and feel guilty.

~Hogwarts~

~A couple of days later~

James gave up. He wasn't going to go wait outside the Slytherin common room for Scorpius this morning. He didn't think he could take seeing that accusing look directed at him anymore. He walked in silence to the Gryffindor table and sat with his head down, eating whatever was closest and easiest to put on his plate.

Scorpius nearly ran to the Great Hall when he saw that James wasn't waiting for him. He pushed several older students out of his way in his haste to get to James and apologize.

The sixth years turned around and roughly shoved him into a wall. Scorpius stumbled and hit his head on the wall, causing him to black out for a few seconds as the sixth years started hitting him.

"Watch where you're going, third year dork!" one of them laughed, breaking his nose.

Scorpius winced.

James walked around the corner, staring at the ground. When he saw Scorpius being hit by the sixth years, he ran in and pulled Scorpius out. The sixth years shrugged and walked away.

As soon as they were gone, James let Scorpius go and started to walk to his first class.

"James, wait!" Scorpius called.

James paused and turned back, looking curiously at Scorpius.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius said.

"Sorry for what?" James asked, confused. "For getting beat up by sixth years?"

"No, for how I acted the past week," Scorpius whispered.

"Oh," James whispered, blinking back tears.

"I didn't mean any of it, honest," Scorpius said, noticing that James was trying not to cry. "I don't know what came over me, and I feel really terrible."

"It's okay," James said in relief. "I knew it was just because of the moon."

"But that didn't stop it from hurting, did it?" Scorpius sighed.

James shrugged noncommittally.

"You didn't forget that I love you, did you?" Scorpius asked in a low voice.

"Of course not," James said, smiling. _It came pretty close though._

**The months continued in this fashion until Easter Break, Scorpius having extreme mood swings and pushing James away before making up with him. Draco and Harry were still separated, and Astoria still tried to seduce Draco. Ron and Hermione had a healthy pair of twins, a boy and a girl, who they named Aislin Jayden Weasley and Kanik Sophia Weasley.**

"Uncle Ron, can I go with you to the Ministry today?" James asked.

Ron looked over at James, blinking. "Of course you can, James."

"Thanks," James said with a smile.

His plan to get rid of Greyback was almost finished, but he needed to check one more thing. James ran upstairs to change into his best robes, knowing it would be important to look good if he was going to go to the Ministry. When he got back downstairs, it was time to leave.

Ron held his arm and transported him to the Ministry using side-along apparition. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to come with me?" Ron asked, getting James his name tag.

"I was curious. I want to work here someday, and I figured I should get to see what it was like," James said, shrugging.

"All right. You can look around, but don't get yourself into trouble," Ron said.

"Thanks!" James said, grinning.

"If anyone asks, tell them the truth, that you're here with me. Feel free to ask anyone for directions—they won't bite," Ron said, winking.

James laughed and headed off, looking around. He had found blueprints and maps of this place, and had memorized them. He found the lift and went down to the ninth level, followed the corridor to a plain black door, and slipped inside, glancing around to make sure he was alone and hadn't been followed. Having already heard his uncle's stories about this room, he left the door open slightly before going to the door to the right.

"Brains," he muttered, leaving that door open as well.

He continued opening doors until he got the one he wanted. He stepped through, careful to leave the door open. He scanned the rows, gulping when he saw his name. He slipped the orb into his pocket and left, running back to the lift and going back to the Atrium before asking for directions to his uncle's office.

Later that night, making sure that nobody could hear what he was doing, he pulled the orb out of his pocket and smashed it, listening carefully to what it told him. He wrote it down with trembling hands and curled up on his bed, breathing as if he had just run a marathon. He knew what he had to do.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I pleaded, begged, and threw a fit, J.K. Rowling refused to even share Harry Potter with me. *sigh* So I still don't own it, and I don't think I will anytime soon.**

**Harry: Yay! Wait, people actually read those? Haha. And yes, Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders. Which is why I will find Aislin Jayden Weasley! Hahahaha! You will find out both of those things in time, young Gryffindor. Maybe they just need a smaller closet… Haha. Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter, s'il vous plait.**

**I decided to post this one a little earlier than I normally would've in celebration of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One. So, fellow Harry Potter fans, this is my gift to you! Happy Movie Release Day!**

The next night, James spent as much time as he could with his aunt and uncle, waiting until it was dark before climbing out his bedroom window and onto his broom. Nobody knew he was going to Malfoy Manor; not even Scorpius. He checked his pocket one more time to make sure the knife and the envelope were still there and took off, flying through the chilly night air under the light of a half moon. When he got to the huge house, he flew around to Scorpius' window and tapped on it.

Scorpius looked up from his homework in surprise and grinned, standing up to open the window. "What are you doing here?" Scorpius asked as James crawled in, propping his broom against the corner.

"I couldn't just miss my boyfriend?" James asked with a smile, wrapping his arms around Scorpius tightly and kissing him.

"I think you just got sick of being at your aunt and uncle's house," Scorpius teased after returning the kiss for a few minutes.

James shrugged, amusement shining in his eyes, even though he was too terrified to feel much of anything. "That might've been part of it…"

"I don't think my dad would want you here," Scorpius said softly, looking down.

"Who says he has to know? Besides, it's just for the night," James said pleadingly.

"Okay," Scorpius agreed, smiling and hugging James again.

James hesitated before saying "Would it be alright if we shared the bed? I just want to hold you."

Scorpius' face softened and he nodded, going to sit on the bed. James lay down and cradled Scorpius against his chest, humming softly. "I love you," James whispered.

"I love you too," Scorpius yawned.

James kept holding Scorpius for a little while after Scorpius had already fallen asleep, stroking his hair, kissing his face, and just remembering everything about him. Finally James whispered that he loved Scorpius again, carefully disentangled his arms from around Scorpius, and slipped the envelope under Scorpius' pillow. He walked silently to the basement, heart heavier with every step as he thought about what awaited him.

"What are you doing here?" Greyback growled.

It was so different from Scorpius' amused voice from earlier that James wanted to cry. "To make sure you never hurt Scorpius or anyone else ever again," James snarled instead, focusing his terror and sadness into anger and strength to do what he needed to.

"What a brave little boy," Greyback mocked.

James pulled the knife out of his pocket with slightly trembling hands.

"Go ahead, try it," Greyback yawned, already bored with this game.

James stepped forward, holding the knife aloft, ready to plunge it into the werewolf's heart.

Almost lazily, Greyback threw James across the room, watching with satisfaction as James hit the wall and slumped to the floor.

"You are nothing but a minor inconvenience," Greyback said, standing and walking over to James. He placed one hand on the top of James' head and the other on his shoulder, which was bleeding heavily from coming into contact with the wall. "I could snap your neck quite easily, right now, if I really wanted to," Greyback continued, tightening his grip.

James trembled from the pain, but he was no longer afraid. He kept the image of Scorpius in his mind as he struck out quickly with the knife and stabbed Greyback in the heart at the same time that Greyback saw what he was doing and broke James' neck.

Scorpius moaned in his sleep and rolled over, his hand accidentally brushing against the envelope hidden under his pillow. He felt a sharp pain from the paper cut he received and sat up, abruptly awake. He blinked blearily at his hand in the early morning light, wondering why he had a paper cut. He decided to investigate and cautiously, he slipped his hand under the pillow again and pulled out an envelope with his name on it, written in a familiar handwriting.

Suddenly, the events from that night came back and he opened the envelope, curious.

Three pieces of parchment fell out, one for him, one for his father, and one for James' father, as well as a Gryffindor tie.

Scorpius looked at them in sleepy puzzlement for a moment before picking up the parchment addressed to him and began reading.

"Scorpius,

"I want to start by telling you that I love you. I always have and I always will. Yesterday, I went to the Ministry. I was already planning on doing this, but after hearing the prophecy, I knew I had to. This is the prophecy; hopefully it will clarify things for you: '_Two boys, joined by disaster, are brought together in love and torn apart in love. One, a werewolf, the other, his eternal love, but their fathers can never understand the bond they have. In the end, the mate must die to save the one he loves, and take the enemy down with him_.' I'm sorry, so sorry, Scorpius, but I had to. Please make sure to get the other letters that were in the envelope with this one to your father and my father. And take care of yourself. I also gave you my Gryffindor tie. I don't know what you want to do with it, but it's yours to keep. I really do love you my little Slytherin, don't forget that.

"James"

Scorpius was shaking before he was halfway done with the letter. He slipped the tie over his neck, vowing to wear it every day, and ran to the basement clutching all three letters to his chest, knowing that Greyback had been hiding in the basement. When he saw James, his legs wouldn't support him, so he sank to his knees, leaving the letters by the door. He crawled to James, crying. Scorpius curled up beside James' body and lay there, completely losing track of time as he cried.

A few hours later, Draco stretched and sat up, smiling at his dream. He left his room to go check on Scorpius like he did every morning when Scorpius was home, but was confused to see that he wasn't in his room. He glanced around the room one more time, noticing the broom in the corner and the abandoned envelope on the bed. He picked up the envelope suspiciously, but didn't find anything inside it, so he decided to walk through the house, checking every room. When he still couldn't find Scorpius, he went down into the basement, stumbling from shock because of what awaited him.

"Scorpius? What happened?" Draco asked in a shaky voice.

Scorpius wordlessly gestured to the letter addressed to Draco and went back to staring at James, tears still falling down his face.

Draco turned his attention to the letter.

"Mr. Malfoy,

"I am very sorry for lying to you. I want you to know that I never hurt Scorpius—I don't think I ever could. Fenrir Greyback was the one who was hitting him. I spent so much time with Scorpius because we were dating, which is also why I wasn't happy about you and my father being together. Please don't be mad at my father anymore. He really loves you, and he needs you.

"James"

Draco read the letter several times, not believing what he was reading. Slowly he walked over to Scorpius.

"Is it true?" Draco whispered. "You were dating James? Greyback was the one who hurt you?"

Scorpius nodded miserably. "I wanted to tell you, but you would've done something stupid. Like him," Scorpius added softly, gently stroking James' hair. "He helped me hide it from you, to protect you." So quietly that Draco couldn't hear it, Scorpius whispered "My brave Gryffindor."

"Even though he hated me?" Draco asked incredulously.

Scorpius nodded again. "He cared enough about me to want to protect you. I don't think he ever actually hated you though. There's a letter over there for Mr. Potter; James asked me to make sure he gets it," he said, choking on his tears.

"I will give it to him," Draco promised softly, standing up.

"I'm going to stay here with him a little longer," Scorpius whispered.

"I'll be back with Harry," Draco said. He picked up the letter addressed to Harry and disapparated.

"Dad,

"I want you to know that I forgive you, that I forgave you long ago, and that you should be with Mr. Malfoy. The only reason I didn't want you two together was because I was in love with Scorpius, and we were dating. That isn't the reason I lied about hurting him though. It's a long story; ask Scorpius about it when he's ready to talk. He knows everything.

"Love, James"

"Why can't James tell me himself?" Harry demanded.

"Because he's dead," Draco said gently.

"Where is he? Let me see him!" Harry said frantically, hands shaking.

Draco nodded and Apparated them back to the basement where Scorpius was now sitting against the wall with his face buried in his knees, a red and gold band around his arm.

Harry quickly put together what had happened with the help of Draco's and Scorpius' letters. "My brave son," he murmured, placing a hand on James' cheek. "I'm so proud of you for everything you've done, even though I'm sad that you're gone. I love you, James."

Scorpius didn't look up as Albus and Lily were brought in, not wanting to see the looks on their faces. "It's my fault," he mumbled, struggling not to hyperventilate as he thought about it. "If I hadn't needed protecting, he would still be here. I should've done what he said; I should've told an adult. I never dreamed that he would do something like this." The tears fell faster and harder as he looked up. "He's gone forever, and it's my fault."

"Scorpius, please don't talk like that," Draco murmured, walking over to his son. "It isn't your fault. Nobody here blames you."

Albus, Lily, and Harry glaring at Scorpius behind Draco's back only convinced Scorpius that Draco was wrong. Scorpius looked away, hating himself for causing James' death. _I love you, my brave lion. I only wish it would've been me instead of you._


	20. The Epilogue

**Disclaimer: Stupid Umbridge, forcing me to say this… *sigh* I do not own Harry Potter, anything associated with Harry Potter, etc. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. *cough* Except Remus *cough* ;)**

**Zana: I'm glad you like it!**

**Evie Glacier Tako: I've missed hearing from you *sniff* I planned James' death from the beginning.**

**UltimateGryffindork: I would like to start by saying that I love your username :) I'm glad that you like the chapter. Greyback is an evil man…**

**Harry: I think you will let Harry and Draco out of the closet in this chapter. Epilogue. Thing. Anyway… Oui, that chapter was sad. I ****had**** to give James a chance to say goodbye though. That's why the beginning was sweet. Yes, poor everyone. Except Greyback and Astoria. I'm glad you like it. And no, Hermione hasn't noticed that he is missing, so I guess you can keep him. Your army is the only one that misses Greyback, haha.**

**Okay, here it is: the epilogue. The end of my story… I actually miss writing it. I am considering writing a sequel where James comes back to life and doesn't remember anything about Scorpius, his family, etc, and Scorpius has to try to bring James' memory back… If I get enough reviews telling me that they like this idea, then I will start writing it. After I finish the one I have already started on.**

**By the way, this takes place while Scorpius is sixteen. So James would've been seventeen if he had lived.**

Scorpius resisted the urge to growl with frustration. He adjusted the Gryffindor tie James had given him three years ago before he died and checked to make sure the red and gold band he had specially put on his dress robes wasn't dirty. All of his robes now had this band, even his Slytherin robes. People had learned to stop asking why. And he did not, under any circumstances, actually approve of the event that was happening. He only acted like he did.

"How do I look, Scorpius?" Draco asked, looking at his brand new dress robes in the mirror.

"You look good, Dad," Scorpius assured him.

"I'm nervous," Draco admitted.

"I'm not surprised. Isn't everyone nervous on their wedding day?" Scorpius pointed out, glancing toward the door that hid Harry.

"Yes, but I wasn't nearly this nervous when I married your mother," Draco said.

Scorpius shrugged. "That just proves you love Harry more than you loved her."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Draco asked for the six hundredth time that day.

"Yes," Scorpius said, trying and failing to smile. "It's not like I can actually be with James anymore…And I want you to be happy."

"Thank you, Scorpius. I know this is hard for you."

Scorpius nodded, taking a deep breath past the lump in his throat that always appeared when he thought about James. "Good luck, Dad," he said, going out to take his place as the ceremony started. He watched as Draco and Harry got married, miraculously not crying. He congratulated the couple and promised that he and Albus would watch Lily while Harry and Draco went on their honeymoon at the end of the party. He took Albus and Lily back to the Manor and put Albus temporarily in charge while he went to his room.

Albus nodded, and quietly told Lily to stay out of Scorpius' room as Scorpius went up the stairs.

Scorpius looked around the room, taking in the Gryffindor banner that was right next to the Slytherin one, and the broom that was still in the corner, the one that James had left when he went to go fight Greyback. He sat on his bed, reliving his third year in his mind. When he got to the night that James had essentially told him goodbye, he pushed away the tears and the memories and took a shaky breath, smiling.

_I will always love you, James._


End file.
